A Change of Pace
by The Mysterious Double Checker
Summary: After disappearing from Japan five years ago, Tatsuha is now the Boss of a clandestine organization in America.In a bout of desperation and intoxication, he orders his second-in-command to make Ryuichi his. He obeys, but not in the way he expected...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer : I do not own Gravitation and its characters. They belong to Maki Murakami.**

* * *

It was midnight in the city of New York and the streets were mostly devoid of people. Twinkling little stars were scattered throughout the dark blue sky, shining down on the one building that was still full of life, illuminating the black sign pasted on the building, on which neon letters radiated colourful light, spelling out the ominous words, '_Angel's Death'. _

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of screeching tires on the cold, hard road. What little people who dared to roam the streets at the witching hour turned and stared as a handsome man clad entirely in black got out of a Silver Mercedes.

Curious pairs of eyes watched as the mysterious stranger entered the only building with life. Shocked gazes rested on him as the usually fierce bouncer bowed to the black haired man, who gave a short nod back and entered the luminous building without resistance.

Loud, catchy music played inside the club. Disco balls made of glimmering silver metal splashed lights of every colour that existed all over floors made of the finest marble, turning the place into a exotic fairyland of dancing colours. Couples laughed happily as they twirled around on the dance floor, shaking their bodies and tossing their heads to the exciting beat of the music.

A tinkling noise turned several gazes to the entrance of the club. The sight of a tall raven haired man with shades covering his eyes caused gasps and whispers to erupt among the people in the club; _"Why is he here?","Does he have another mission for us?", "He scares me..." _

Ignoring the attention on him, the man made his way over to the bar, his footsteps as silent as the shadows of alleyways. He sat down on a barstool, leaning forward a little and placing a calloused hand on his cheek, "Bartender."

The man behind the counter jumped, eying him nervously,"Y-Yes Boss?"

"Give me the strongest drink that you have." The man saluted at the command and went about obeying his superior.

The black haired man waited impatiently for his drink. He sighed as he felt all the apprehensive gazes on him, muttering, "They're all afraid of me now..."

"Here, Boss," Said person snapped out of his thoughts as a bottle was placed in front of him. "The strongest we have; _Burning Devil." _

His boss nodded, "Thanks." He stared at the blue liquid dotted with red for a moment before shrugging and began drowning himself in his sorrow. He finished the drink in a few minutes. Deciding he liked the taste of it, he ordered a few more bottles. He was well onto his fourth bottle when he was rudely interrupted by a certain loud friend.

"Hey Shade!" The man choked on his drink as a large hand clamped down on his shoulder. He began coughing violently. "Whoa, you alright?"

Shade whirled around, glaring at the person who had interrupted him from getting wasted. He hissed. "I was, until you came along, _Jeffrey_."

Jeffrey merely grinned. He had on a white T-shirt and a leather jacket. He wore tight black jeans with silver chains dangling from their hoops and a belt with a gold letter _'J'_ inscribed onto it. Earrings in the shape of lightning bolts dangled from his ears, and his flaming red hair flared wildly from under his black hat. Golden eyes shone with mirth at his friend.

"Sorry man, didn't mean to!" His companion shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure my best friend didn't wallow too deeply in his despair, you know? What's up with you anyway? You're so...gloomy."

"As if you don't know," Shade scoffed. He put down his drink, a hand reaching out to remove the sunglasses from his face, "Why aren't you scared of me like the rest of them anyway?"

Jeffrey blinked as black eyes stared at him intently. He then noticed all the frightened glances directed at the black haired man. He frowned for a moment, as if pondering something, before replying, "'Cause you're my best friend, I could never fear you." The red haired man answered simply.

"Besides," he continued, smiling, "You're a good person, Shade, and I know you would have never done that to the poor guy without a good reason." The words of Shade's recent victim came to his mind and he smiled with a touch of sadness. "You really love that singer, huh?"

"Yeah..." Shade murmured dazedly, lowering his gaze to the countertop as he immersed himself in his thoughts. _"And I thought I had gotten him out of my life. If only that damn man hadn't said anything..." _

The black haired man sighed. _"It's been five years, five long years, and I still miss him. I still love him. I still haven't forgotten about him." _He chuckled. _"Kind of hard to when I've had so many wet dreams about him recently." _An image of a happily smiling brunette with shining blue eyes flashed in his mind. He frowned, before sighing. "_I miss you so much, Ryuichi..." _

"Shade? Are you okay?" The black haired man looked up to find gold eyes full of concern staring at him worriedly. Jeffrey frowned. "You can tell me anything, you know. I'm your best friend, right? I'll help you with whatever problems you're having."

Shade stared at Jeffrey for a moment, feeling slightly woozy. "Yeah." _"I doubt you could help me get the love of my life, Jeff-"His_ eyes widened as a realization came to him. _"Wait. Maybe he can. After all, Jeffrey's the person we go to when we want someone..." _Shade smiled. _"Yeah, he's perfect." _

"Jeffrey," The red haired man stared at him expectantly. "I have a mission for you."

Jeffrey's eyes narrowed at the word, 'mission'. He straightened his posture. Narrowed serious gold eyes connected with equally serious black orbs. "A mission?"

Shade nodded, "Yes," he replied, delirious, "Make Ryuichi Sakuma mine. By any means possible."

Jeffrey blinked at his best friend's words, "Ryuichi Sakuma? The singer?" A nod. He grinned. "Well, that's easy. I just have to make him yours, right?"

Shade nodded, a slightly giddy smile on his face. "That's right." He got up from his seat, shoving his hands in his pockets as he strolled to the door, ignoring the many pairs of eyes which followed him. "Do not fail me, Jeffrey."

The red haired man grinned brightly, "I'll do my best Boss!"

"_I'll see you soon Ryuichi and you'll be mine."_ Shade smiled dazedly amidst his drunken thoughts. _"After nine long years of loving you, you'll finally be mine..."_


	2. Chapter 1: Jeffrey's Plan

**Warnings: Gender bender, use of vulgarities.**

**Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me. They belong to Maki Murakami. The only characters in this chapter whom I own are Jeffrey and Dean.**

* * *

Jeffrey sighed as he leaned back in his chair in front of his laptop. He had just researched on Ryuichi Sakuma, and had all the information he needed to carry out his mission. The problem was, he had no idea how to carry it out.

_"The look in Shade's eyes; he probably meant it literally when he said to make Sakuma his." _The red haired man frowned thoughtfully. "_Yet with his feelings for the singer, he probably meant it, hmm, in an emotional way as well. This means I'm going to have to somehow make Sakuma fall for Shade. I'm a kidnapper, not a matchmaker. How the hell am I going to do that?"_

With a heavy sigh, the red haired man rested his elbows on the tabletop. Golden eyes inspected the picture of a smiling brunette on his laptop. "Come to think of it, Sakuma's a guy. And Shade is obviously one too," He muttered to himself. "Does that mean Shade's gay? Not that I mind, but its obvious Shade's fallen pretty hard for the guy. The kind of person he is; he must have made some attempts in the past to get Sakuma to fall for him, and he doesn't have him yet. What if Sakuma is just not interested in guys?"

"In that case, I have to somehow make Sakuma interested in guys. This is so complicated. But, I can't disappoint Shade..." Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "God, why can't Sakuma be a girl? My mission would be a heck of a lot easier!"

Suddenly he froze. "Wait a minute..." Jeffrey stared into thin air, his head whirling with all sorts of ideas. Suddenly he smiled, punching the air. "That's it! I just have to change Sakuma into a girl, shift his chromosomes, give him some female genes, and well, change his sex!"

The kidnapper smirked. "And I know just the people to do it."

Fishing his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, Jeffrey flipped it open and dialled a familiar number.

After a few seconds, a male voice sounded. "Hello?"

Jeffrey grinned, "Hey Dean, this is Jeff. Are you free right now?"

He could feel Dean's smile through the phone, "Jeff? Yeah I'm free right now," he paused, "Can I help you with anything?"

Jeffrey laughed at Dean's slight hesitance, "Don't worry, it's nothing extreme like last time!"

"I doubt it," Dean muttered and he grinned. "Alright, what do you want?"

Jeffrey smiled mischievously. "You're the master of connections, right? 'Cause I kind of need you to get certain people to do a certain something for me..."

"Spit it out, Jeff!" Jeffrey laughed. "Jeffrey!"

The red haired man chucked. Then he turned serious. "I need you to get professionals in sex-change operations to change Ryuichi Sakuma's gender."

Dean frowned on the other end of the phone, "Ryuichi Sakuma? He's that famous singer of the band Nittle Grasper in Japan, right? Why would you want to change his gender?"

Jeffrey smiled. "I guess I forgot you weren't there when our boss tortured a captive because he insulted Sakuma huh?" He smirked at Dean's gasp of shock. "That's right, our powerful but peace-making Shade tortured someone to the brink of death because he insulted his precious idol. And it wasn't a pretty sight. In fact, most of the members of the organization are deathly afraid of him now."

"I see," there was a pause, before Dean sighed. "So Shade's in love with the guy?"

Jeffrey nodded, "Probably," he shook his head, "I mean, definitely. I've never seen Shade look that angry before..." He shivered as he remembered the look of murderous rage on his best friend's face.

"Shade's in love with Sakuma, but Sakuma doesn't reciprocate his feelings," Jeffrey continued. "If he did, considering Shade's charismatic personality, he would have gotten him by now. He obviously hasn't, so I guess Sakuma is just not interested in guys." Jeffrey explained. "And that's why the first step is to make him interested; give him whatever makes a girl interested in a guy."

Dean shook his head, "I know what you're saying, Jeff, but, the idea's crazy!" he frowned. "I mean, Ryuichi Sakuma is a nationally famous idol. He has millions of fans, especially _female _fans. How do you think they would react if their idol changed his gender? His career, his _life _would be _ruined!_"

There was a pause on the other end as Jeffrey contemplated Dean's words. Dean continued, "Do you see now Jeff-"

"Who cares?" Dean raised an eyebrow at his friend's words. "Shade gave me a mission, 'Make Ryuichi Sakuma mine. By any means possible.' were his exact words. By 'mine' I assume he means both literally and emotionally. So I'm planning on kidnapping him and bringing him to America, and well, once they perform the operation on him and I bring him to Shade's house, he's not going to let him go back to Japan."

"You know how protective Shade is over those he cares about," Jeffrey's lips curled in amusement. "I have no doubt he would be possessive over the love of his life. Ryuichi Sakuma can say goodbye to his career as a singer in Japan once Shade has him, err, her, here in America."

There was silence for a moment on the other end before Dean spoke. "...Alright, I'll help."

Jeffrey smiled, "Hey, don't sound so reluctant, Dean. We're doing this for the Boss! Shade was thinking about Sakuma in _Angel's Death_ yesterday. He looked so wistful and sad; I had this urge to hug him or something."

His lips curved into a frown. "Shade's my best friend. In all the time I've known him I've never seen him look that lost and desolate before. If Ryuichi Sakuma is what will make him happy, I'll take any chance or risk for that to happen, no matter the consequences."

Dean could not help but smile at his friend's words, "You're right, Jeff. What's one singer's career for the happiness of the boss of the infamous _Hellfire?_ I bet they even know of us, and of course, _fear _us, in Japan!"

"Besides," his lips held a malicious edge. "We've done crazier and much more dangerous things, haven't we, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey smirked evilly back. "Yeah, we sure have. This is like child's play to us!" He laughed.

"Alright, I've got to go, got to kidnap the object of Shade's affections," Jeffrey said. "I'll see you later, Dean."

"Sure," his friend replied. "In the meantime I'll inform professionals in charge of sex-change operations as you have requested," he paused. "Or would you rather have _them _to do the job?"

Jeffrey thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Whichever you think is best. We have to give the best treatment to the Boss's little lover after all."

Dean smiled, "True," he nodded. "Alright, bye Jeff."

"Bye Dean." Jeffrey replied and hung up the phone.

_"Well, time for me to do my job." _The red haired man smiled as he walked out of his office and waved for his assistant to get his helicopter ready for him.

* * *

Ryuichi yawned as he opened the door of his apartment. He closed it behind him as he trudged wearily, collapsing onto the couch. "Tohma sure worked us hard today, na no da. I don't think I've ever felt so tired after a recording session before..." he mumbled into the leather of the couch.

The singer frowned thoughtfully. "But I guess it's because of that new band from NG's rival company," he muttered. "Even I have to admit they're good...what was their name again? Glimmering Hope? Shimmering Destiny? I can't remember, na no da..."

"It's _Shining Destiny_," A new but familiar voice spoke up. Ryuichi squealed, falling off the couch in surprise. "Sakuma-san! Are you alright?"

Ryuichi rubbed his head, turning to look up at purple eyes full of concern. "Shu-chan! You scared me na no da!"

Shuichi smiled apologetically. "Sorry Sak-, I mean, Ryu-chan," he corrected at Ryuichi's disapproving glare. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Umm, I rang the doorbell but no one answered. I tried the door and it was unlocked. So I decided to come in." He bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry for scaring you Ryu-chan! Please forgive me!"

Ryuichi grinned. "It's okay na no da!" Then he blinked curiously. "But why are you here, Shu-chan?"

At the question, Shuichi's big violet eyes filled with tears. He sniffled. "Eiri...Eiri KICKED ME OUT AGAIN!" He cried as he flung himself at the other singer, wrapping his arms around his neck, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Waaaah! He's soooo meeeann!"

Ryuichi hugged the sobbing singer, blue eyes blinking in bewilderment. "Really? But I thought since you two got married he didn't kick you out anymore na no da!"

At this Shuichi grinned, tears suddenly devoid of tears as he stared at his ring lovingly. It was a simple silver band with the initials of their names made of precious amethyst jewels and shimmering topaz on top. Tiny musical notes sparkled next to the left of the initials, 'SS', and a mini golden book shone blindingly next to the right of the initials, 'UE'.

To further enhance the exquisite design, a small heart made of gold on the left and amethyst on the right lay in the centre of the initials, 'SS' and 'UY'. Ryuichi thought it was the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

Shuichi gently took off the ring, turning it around to look at the words engraved on the inside, '_I love you brat, unfortunately. -Eiri'. _

The pink haired singer smiled happily. "Isn't it beautiful, Ryuichi?" He sighed dreamily, swooning, "Eiri's so sweet!"

Ryuichi smiled almost sadly. "It's very beautiful Shu-chan, na no da."

Shuichi blinked at Ryuichi's sad expression,"Ryu-chan?" He frowned. "What's wrong?"

Ryuichi smiled reassuringly, "Nothing, na no da!" He yawned. "Ryu-chan's just a little tired!" He gave another yawn to emphasise his point.

"So Shu-chan, why did Eiri-san kick you out?" Ryuichi asked curiously.

Shuichi sniffed, "Um, I think I said something really wrong this time," he wailed. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

Ryuichi tilted his head to the side. "What did you say, na no da?"

Shuichi sniffed again, before his expression turned guilty. "I mentioned Tatsuha," he sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground sombrely. "Eiri was being unusually nice to me, and I happily commented on how much he's changed over the years. I teased him, 'Is it because you've lost Tatsuha and have learnt your lesson?'"

The pink haired singer bit his lip. "He froze for a moment. That's when I realized my mistake. I tried to apologize but he told me to get out. He was really angry." Shuichi sighed. "But then again it's been five years. I thought he had gotten over Tatsuha's disappearance...but I guess you can never forget your little brother, huh?"

Shuichi turned tearful violet eyes to his idol. "What should I do, Ryu-chan?!"

Ryuichi held a finger to his chin, a habit he had developed over the years. "I think you should try to apologize to him, na no da." He said. "Explain the situation to him. Tell him how you thought he had gotten over Tatsuha-kun's absence and didn't mean to upset him. Try to make him understand things from your point of view." The singer frowned thoughtfully. "I mean, you're married to him. That means he must love you enough to forgive a simple mistake you made right?"

Surprised violet connected with serious blue for a moment. Silence filled the air.

Suddenly Shuichi snapped out of his daze. He grinned playfully, "Wow, Ryu-chan, when did you become so wise?!"

Ryuichi pouted, "You're so mean, Shu-chan! I'm older than you, na no da!"

Shuichi smiled. "I know, I'm 24 and you're 36, right?"

Ryuichi gasped. "Shu-chan! Don't say my age! It makes me feel old! Ryu-chan is not old!" He cried. He turned to the pink stuffed bunny beside him. "Right, Kumagoro?!"

Shuichi grinned at the presence of Ryuichi's favourite bunny. He picked it up from the floor, adjusting his vocal cords to produce a squeaky voice, "Yes, Ryu-chan is not old! Ryu-chan is still very young! It's meanie Shu-chan who's old!"

Ryuichi smiled brightly. "That's right, na no da!"

Shuichi smirked. "Now that we've established," Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at the word, "that Ryuichi is not at all old and is in fact still very young, can he accompany me to Eiri's place?"

Ryuichi smirked back."Sure, Shu-chan!"

* * *

"EIRI!" Shuichi yelled as he pounded on the obstacle that separated him and his husband. "EIRI! OPEN THE DOOR!"

The pink haired singer frowned at the lack of response. He was about to apply his fist to the innocent door another time before the door opened and he fell forward onto the floor. Face still plastered onto the floor, he smiled happily. "Eiri!"

Shuichi looked up to meet enraged golden eyes. "What do you want, brat?"

Shuichi flinched at the anger and hurt in his lover's golden depths. He found himself staring at narrowed golden eyes rimmed with red. "_Has he been crying?"_

The singer took a deep breath, "I'm sorry," Eiri's golden eyes narrowed further in response, and his lover bowed his head. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, honest! I was just teasing, and maybe I was sort of curious. It has been five years, I thought you would have gotten over him by now..."

He squeaked as Eiri glared. "Not that you're weak or anything for not doing that! I-It just shows that you're a really caring person at heart!" He stared up at his husband with the most pitiful puppy-eyes he could muster. "Please forgive me, Eiri?"

There was silence for a moment before the novelist sighed, "Whatever, brat." Shuichi was relieved to see that the anger in his lover's eyes had lessened greatly. He watched as Eiri turned and walked back into his study. "What the hell are you still on the floor for, Shuichi?"

Shuichi beamed radiantly at his name coming from the blond novelist's lips. "Eiri!" He leapt happily from the floor, pouncing onto his lover and wrapping slender arms around his neck, purring like a cat. "You really do love me after all!"

"Yeah, whatever you say," Eiri rolled his eyes, but a small smile was on his lips. He then raised an eyebrow as he noticed the silent brunette standing at the doorway. "What are you doing here, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi snapped out of his trance-like stare at the couple. "I came to accompany Shu-chan, na no da!"He giggled like a child. "He was nervous about apologizing to you."

Eiri turned to Shuichi. "You needed a five-year old to accompany you to apologize to someone?"

Shuichi glared playfully. "Eiri! Don't be mean! Ryuichi's not five!" Purple eyes directed their gaze to the floor. "And I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me. I mean, I really said something bad this time. I needed Ryuichi's support."

Eiri rolled his eyes, reaching out a hand to ruffle the pink hair. "I forgive you, idiot," Shuichi stared at him with violet eyes, smiling contentedly. The novelist gave a little smile. He looked like he wanted to say something more but decided not to, turning to Ryuichi instead. "I trust you can show yourself out?"

Ryuichi nodded with a wide smile. "Sure! Oh and I'm not really five, na no da!"

Eire looked at him with skeptical golden eyes. "Really? You sure act like it." He sighed when the singer's eyes turned teary. "I was just joking! Geez, what's with you singers who can't take a joke..." he muttered under his breath. Ryuichi gave a bright smile. "Bye Ryuichi."

The singer waved. "Bye, na no da! Take care of Shu-chan okay?" The novelist nodded briefly before shutting and locking the study door behind him, leaving the brunette alone to stare at the door.

"Well, I guess I better go home..."

* * *

Ryuichi sighed as he let himself fall onto the soft bed. He felt strangely melancholic all of a sudden. An image of Shuichi's beautiful ring Eiri had used to propose to him flashed in his tired mind.

"_It seems like everyone I know is married; Shu-chan and Eiri-san, Tohma and Mika-san, Hiroshi-kun and Ayaka-chan, Nori-chan and Tetsuya-san, and K and Judy" _Nittle Grasper's vocalist frowned. "_Suguru-kun just proposed to Maiko-chan, and even Sakano-san has a wife." _The lead singer sighed deeply. "_I bet that if Tatsuha-kun were still here he would have had someone too."_

_"_Why am I the only one without a significant other?" A single tear rolled down the singer's cheek. He smiled bitterly. "Maybe Eiri-san is right; I am just a five year old after all..."

Silence greeted him. The singer narrowed mournful blue eyes. "Of course, I am alone after all." he muttered sadly. Silence reigned for a moment, before Ryuichi closed his eyes and began to sing _Tearless. _He smiled. He loved singing. It gave him a sense of peace and calm. He felt truly free when he sang.

Suddenly, his singing was interrupted by a scraping noise. The singer's eyes snapped open and he stopped his song. _"What was that? Was it a rat? I better go check."_

Ryuichi stretched, moving to get off the bed. He paused as a thought occurred to him. "_Wait. It could be a burglar. What should I do? Should I call the police? But what if it isn't a burglar..."_

Looking around warily at the shadows in the room, the singer lifted his pillow and retrieved a knife in what looked like a sheath. He pulled it out carefully. _"It's a good thing K insisted to place a weapon beneath my pillow. At least I won't be completely defenceless if the burglar attacks me. I'd be able to fend him off, somehow."_

With as much stealth as he could muster, Ryuichi stepped out of the bedroom. Blue eyes scanned the area. _"Where is he?" _He stepped into the kitchen, moving his gaze from the table, to the chairs and the cupboards. "_He's not here." _He tiptoed to the living room, eyes roaming over the sofas and chairs there. _"Not here either."_

The brunette sighed. "_Maybe it was just my imagination." _He nodded to himself. _"Yeah, I'm so tired I'm hearing things." _He chuckled softly. "I can be so paranoid sometimes!"

Ryuichi yawned, walking back to his bedroom. "I better go back to sleep." He was about to step into his bedroom when a hand snaked around his waist and pulled him back against a muscular chest. A gun pointed to his head. _"Oh fuck."_

"You didn't check behind the bathroom door," the stranger whispered in a husky voice. Locks of red hair brushed against his ear. "Ryuichi Sakuma."

"W-Who are you?" Ryuichi shivered involuntarily, chills racing up his spine. "_I didn't hear him at all!"_

The red haired man smiled. "A man on a mission," he answered simply. He removed the hand around Ryuichi's waist. "Move one inch and I'll shoot."

Ryuichi did not even dare to nod. He stood as still as a statue as his captor rummaged in his pockets for something, gun still pressed threateningly against his captive's head.

"Aha!" He heard the man exclaim and resisted the urge to turn around. "I found it!" Blue eyes widened in surprise and pain as the arm which had previously held him captive jabbed a needle into his frozen arm.

Ryuichi watched with dazed eyes as the man drew back his arm, grinning. The gun left his head. "That should do it." Realizing he was free, he tried to lunge at his attacker with his knife, but found that he could not move an inch. "_What the...?"_

The kidnapper smirked at Ryuichi's surprised expression. "It's no use Sakuma. The vaccine I just injected into you numbs your entire body, including parts like your mouth and eyes." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I would have let you go otherwise?"

"But don't worry, this is a...special version of the original vaccine," Jeffrey smiled as Ryuichi's eyes began to close of their own accord. "Soon you'll find yourself falling asleep."

The red haired man shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, I couldn't leave the Boss of _Hellfire's_ sweetheart staring like a zombie the whole ride to America, could I? That's a little too evil of me, especially to a tender little thing like you." He gave a malevolent smirk . "I can sort of see why Shade fell in love with you. I can't wait to see your new appearance."

_"What? What is he talking about? What new appearance?" _Ryuichi thought in confusion even as his eyes closed against his will. "_Who's Shade? And what does he mean by 'the boss of Hellfire's sweetheart'? Judging by the name, it must be some kind of shady organization. _

_"Wait, does this mean I'm somehow the 'sweetheart' of some shady organization in America?" _He thought blearily as he struggled to stay awake, glaring with angry blue eyes at the smirking Jeffrey._"How did that happen? This makes no sense at all."_

He would have yawned if he could, as the tendrils of sleep began to caress his consciousness soothingly. Ryuichi could almost hear its quiet lull coaxing him into the recesses of slumber. It seeped his energy, draining it from his body until he no longer wanted to resist the darkness overtaking his mind. "_I'm so tired...I'll think about all this later..." _The brunette's eyes closed without resistance, as his consciousness drifted unconsciously into darkness.

Jeffrey caught the sleeping brunette as he fell into his arms. Using one hand to cradle the singer against his chest, he used the other to grab the weapon that the singer still clutched tightly in his hand. He frowned as he caught sight of the designs on the metal. _"Numbing Metal...quite a strong one too. Good thing I immobilized him first. Where did Sakuma get such a lethal weapon?" _

A '_K'_ carved in gold caught his Jeffrey's eye, and the man's eyes widened. "Well, looks like Sakuma does know some pretty shady people." He smiled. "K, huh? It's been a long time since I last saw my rival."

"Oh well, part one of my mission is complete. Better call Dean." Shoulders lifted in a shrug and the man brought out his hand phone to dial his friend, who answered after a few rings. "Jeffrey?"

"Yeah, it's me, Dean. I've successfully captured Shade's sweetheart."

"Alright, that's good. I have managed to reach an agreement with _them _as well."

"Really? Did you tell them the conditions for this particular patient?"

"Yes I did; no tampering with vocal cords, facial features, muscles, or anything unnecessary, right? Oh and the insertion of, and I quote, 'whatever makes a girl like a guy'. You're so eloquent, Jeff."

Jeffrey laughed at his friend's sarcastic tone. "Aren't I?" He smirked, "Yeah, just give Sakuma whatever will make him a girl; breasts, vagina, oh and of course, 'whatever makes a girl like a guy.'"

The red haired man chuckled. "Though, I think you're missing something else."

It was Dean's turn to smirk, "Hmm? You mean to order them to do a perfect job or the Boss of _Hellfire _will personally make sure they'd wish they'd never been born?" He gave a chortle. "I think that's a given, especially when I kindly informed them that their patient is Shade Runner's one true love." He smirked with amusement. "I have no doubt they'll do a more than perfect job."

Jeffrey nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, I'll meet you at Headquarters in a few hours then."

"Sure." Dean replied before hanging up. Jeffrey pocketed his phone before placing his hands under Ryuichi's slender knees and gently lifting the singer into his arms.

He smiled reassuringly at the sleeping brunette in his arms. "Don't worry Sakuma, you'll have a significant other soon." Jeffrey reassured the sleeping singer.

"You're really lucky, you know? Women and men alike would give up their _lives _to be with him. You only have to give up your gender. Heck, even I wouldn't mind a piece of our handsome, strong, intelligent and hot Boss, and _I'm _his best friend _and _straight. I kind of envy you." The red haired man chuckled as he walked towards the door with Ryuichi unconscious in his arms.


	3. Chapter 2: Reunion

_Important Author's Note, please read._

_Hello everyone, this is the Mysterious Double Checker, the author of this story. I cannot help but notice that even after 5,341 words and about 13 pages, I have yet to receive a single review._

_I wonder why that is so. Could it be because you do not like the story? Or are few people reading this? Since I am a new author to this site, I do not know how to check the number of views on a story, or if it is even possible._

_I have contemplated for quite a while on this issue. Is it because the events in this story are not to your liking? After all, the most exciting thing that has happened so far is Ryuichi being kidnapped. Thus, I have decided to post another chapter, where there are slightly more exciting happenings, and see if I will get a different response._

_Yet, it could also because I have attempted something that probably no fan has ever done before; changing Sakuma Ryuichi, one of the most popular characters in Gravitation, into a girl._

_I admit the idea was also appalling to me at first. I had it on a whim, and since I was bored and had nothing to do then, I decided to write it down. Also, the idea of Ryuichi as a girl made me want to write, for some reason. And to me, the desire to write is one of the most important things when writing a story._

_It was also an experiment; an exploration of Ryuichi's character; to challenge myself to see if I could keep Ryuichi mostly in character, even with his changed gender and life. So if anyone was wondering; no, Ryuichi is not going to become a damsel in distress just because of his changed gender. I would never screw up his personality to such an extent._

_The reason I decided to post this piece of fan fiction on this site is because I wanted to know what people thought of this story. Since I myself am quite enamoured with it, I assumed that other people would be interested in it too. Though, I was also at the same time aware that I was taking a gamble that would not necessarily pay off._

_I love writing this story. Writing this story makes me happy, in a way that not many things or people are able to do in my current life. I have written up to the event in which Tatsuha (Shade) and a certain American battle, and am even now itching to write more._

_However, I have to say that the complete lack of reviews is quite...detrimental to my pride as an author and the pride I have in my story, and I cannot allow that, as it may decrease my want to continue my story._

_Thus I have decided that if there are still no reviews after Chapter 3, I will stop updating this story, and will most probably delete it as well, though I will still continue to write it in my own time. I feel quite uncomfortable seeing a lack of the word in orange, 'reviews' when I see my fan fiction among the rest._

_Thank you very much if you have taken the time to read my lengthy drivel._

_I also apologize deeply for the lack of line breaks the previous chapter; I only realized so when I updated this chapter, and just recently went back to the previous chapter to edit it._

**Warnings: Gender bender, use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU.**

**Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me. The only characters in this chapter which do belong to me are Jeffrey and Bianca, as well as the unnamed photographer.**

* * *

A black haired man smiled charmingly as he posed for the camera. Clothed in a half-unbuttoned shirt which showed off his toned muscles and unbuttoned black leather pants that left little to the imagination, he ran a hand sensually down the cloth, the denim rippling like waves upon the ocean, lowering black eyes in a sultry gaze with a sexy smirk adorning his handsome face, unflinching at the bright flash of light which blinded him momentarily.

The photographer, a middle aged woman with light brown hair and eyes, beamed, "Perfect, Xander! Alright, just one more and we're done. Now, take off your shirt..."

Xander shrugged off his shirt. Placing one foot in front of the other, he stretched languidly, hooking his fingers onto leather as he pulled down the material to expose perfect, smooth skin. Raising a slender eyebrow, he gave the camera a come-hither look which had been often used to seduce hundreds of beautiful women to his bed.

The photographer smiled as she took a picture of the sexy model. "Perfect. Alright, you may go." She waved him away as she moved on to take pictures of the other models, "Jasmine, you're up next!"

Picking his shirt up from the floor, Xander strolled leisurely towards the door, shrugging the piece of clothing on. He was about to exit the room when a feminine voice called out. "Xander! Wait up!"

Turning around curiously, the raven haired man was met with the sight of his fellow model, Bianca. She was a beautiful black haired woman clad in a sparkling silver dress. Several rings embedded with precious jewels of all kinds rested on her delicate fingers while diamond earrings hung from her ears. She wore high heels and a seductive smile on her pretty face.

Xander eyed his fellow model with curiosity, "Bianca? What do you want?"

Bianca smiled innocently. "I was just wondering if you would like to have lunch with me."

Xander shook his head. "I'm sorry Bianca, but I'm busy today. Maybe we could have lunch some other time?"

Bianca pouted prettily, "That's what you said the last time!" She latched onto the man's arm, staring up at him with wide brown eyes, "Why are you always brushing me off Xander? Do no not like me?"

The model sighed. If it had been any other girl other than Bianca, he would have accepted their offer with little hesitance. It would have had helped him get his mind off a certain person. But Xander had slept with hundreds of women; one look at his fellow model told him that she was the clingy and possessive type; he hated those kinds of girls and had no wish to get involved with them.

"It's not that Bianca," Xander lied. "It's just that, I..." He searched his mind for an excuse.

Bianca frowned, "What, you what?" Suddenly her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you already have a girl you like!"

A certain singer appeared in the black haired man's mind,"Yeah, something like that." He half-lied. _"Ryuichi..."_

Bianca scowled at the expression of love on Xander's face, "I see. Is she your girlfriend?" Her companion raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No? Could it be an unrequited love then?"

At the words, 'unrequited love', Xander sighed wistfully. "Yeah."

Bianca smirked. "_Looks like I still have a chance then."_

The black haired seductress gave her best sympathetic smile. "Oh, that's sad. But cheer up, Xander! I'm sure your sweetheart will one day return your love for her!"

"_Ryuichi's not a girl. And I've been in love with him for nine years and he has barely noticed my presence. There's no way he'll ever love me back." _Xander thought mournfully. Out loud, he said, "I hope so."

Bianca smiled cheerfully. "You're a handsome and great guy Xander, of course she will!" She then pulled him towards the doorway. "Now, let's go have lunch together okay?"

_"This girl sure is persistent." _Xander thought in annoyance, resisting the urge to run his hand through his raven locks.

The model gave Bianca a charming yet apologetic smile, "I'm sorry Baby, but I really have to meet someone today." He gently pulled his arm from the girl's grip, though he was inwardly wishing he could just tear it roughly away from her. "I'll see you some other time, okay?"

Bianca frowned in disappointment. "Oh." Then she brightened considerably as she realised that her crush had called her 'Baby', "Oh, alright. Bye and take care Xander!" She smiled happily as she waved to her fellow model. "_I definitely have a chance!"_

Xander smiled. "Bye Bianca. Take care." He waved to her as he walked out of the door and made his way out of the building, leaving the black haired girl in her dreamland of being Xander's girlfriend.

* * *

"What a stupid girl," Shade muttered to himself as he drove his car. "She thinks she has a chance with me; there's no way she can compete with the great Sakuma Ryuichi!"

_"Though there's nothing to compete with," _Shade thought bitterly. "_Well, except for my love for Ryuichi, that is. And nothing can ever beat that. But as for her competing against Ryuichi himself..." _He heaved a sigh. "_Ryuichi will never want to battle anyone for my affections...even if I'm perfectly willing to do that and more for him...so much more..."_

_Tooku de me o hikarasete, mezameru monotachi matteiru..._ Shade was snapped out of his reverie by the musical voice. "Ryuichi?!" He swerved his head, half expecting to see the love of his life staring at him with narrowed blue eyes. _Yoru no jouheki sasowarete, utsurisumu mure no nukegara ni._

Black irises caught sight of a flashing object on the passenger seat. "Oh, it's just my phone..."

Flipping open the device, he used his shoulder to hold it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey Boss," A familiar, cocky voice drawled. "You might want to check your bedroom when you get home."

Shade frowned, "Check my bedroom? What do you mean by that, Jeffrey? Did a rival organization plant a bomb there or something?"

The red haired man chuckled in amusement at the suggestion. "No, nothing like that Shade. Besides if your bedroom had a bomb I would have had it removed a long time ago." He said seriously. "Have you forgotten the mission you gave me at Angel's Death a few nights ago?"

_"Mission? Since when did I give Jeffrey a mission?"_ Shade thought as he searched through his memories. _"Mission at Angel's Death..."_ His eyes widened. _"Could it be that time when I was half drunk..?"_

"Yeah, I remember. But I was drunk, well, half drunk at that time Jeffrey. I have to admit I was kind of desperate too. But I wasn't being serious," Shade informed his best friend. "Sorry if you misunderstood Jeffrey, but I would never want to make Ryuichi do anything against his will."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Shade frowned worriedly. "Jeffrey? Are you alright?"

Jeffrey cleared his throat nervously, "Um, yeah. But I changed my mind; it'd be better if you don't check your bedroom Boss. In fact, don't go in there at all!"

Shade jumped at his desperate tone. "What? Why? Jeffrey? Jeffrey!" A beeping tone was his reply. "Damn it, he hung up!"

"I swear, Jeffrey, if you did something to Ryuichi I'll kill you," Shade muttered angrily as he drove faster towards his house. "Best friend or not, I'll make sure you die a painful death."

* * *

Shade reached his house in record time. Slamming the car door shut, he didn't even bother to lock the car doors before rushing to the door. He growled in annoyance when he found it locked.

Resisting the urge to break down the door, he pulled out his keys instead, impatiently shoving them one by one into the keyhole and turning metal until a 'click' sound was heard. He turned the knob, pushing the door roughly open before sprinting to the bedroom.

"Jeffrey!" He called as he caught sight of the red haired man trying to escape through the window with a body in his arms. "Wait!" He ran and caught the sleeve of his second in command.

Jeffrey turned. There was a panic in his eyes Shade had never seen before. He smiled shakily. "Hey Boss..."

Shade raised an eyebrow. Jeffrey never sounded nervous. Black eyes narrowed. "What have you done, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey gulped, "Nothing, nothing at all..." He flinched when black eyes narrowed in a fierce glare. "I...IturnedRyuichiSakumaintoagirl!"

"What?" Shade asked, not comprehending his best friend's words. "I heard Ryuichi in there somewhere. What did you say?"

Jeffrey sighed. It was time to come clean with the truth. He shoved the body in his arms to Shade, who took it curiously. "See for yourself."

Shade stared blankly at the slender form in his arms, "What? Who's this?" Obsidian orbs widened fractionally when they caught sight of brown hair. They took note of the structure of the perfect face. "Ryuichi..?"

The body in his arms stirred. Shade stared in amazement as blue eyes he had dreamed of for years opened and a yawn escaped the delicate mouth. "Nnnngh..." Ryuichi looked around dazedly. "Where...Where am I?"

_"That voice! Oh my god, it really is Ryuichi!"_ Shade had to restrain himself from squishing his idol to his chest at Ryuichi's adorable yawn. _"He's just as cute as ever..."_

Ryuichi blinked up at the black haired man. "W-Who are you?"

Shade gazed at his idol in admiration. He tried to say something intelligent, but could only whisper reverently, "Ryuichi..."

Ryuichi frowned cutely, "Um, do I know you? You sound familiar, na no da." The singer then caught sight of the stranger's black hair and eyes. Blue irises blinked before widening in realization. "Could...could you be Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha nodded. _"It's been such a long time since I've last heard someone call me that."_

Ryuichi beamed at the raven haired man's nod of affirmation, "Tatsuha, Tatsuha-kun!" the vocalist cried happily as he latched thin arms around the black haired man's neck, "I missed you, na no da!"

Tatsuha smiled, holding his idol close. "I missed you too, Ryu-chan."

Ryuichi gave a smile which made Tatsuha's heart flutter like the wings of a butterfly. He looked up, blue eyes sparkling with curiosity as he snuggled further into Tatsuha's chest, causing the raven haired man's heart to beat rapidly. "So, where did you disappear to for the last five years, Tatsuha-kun?"

Tatsuha smiled weakly, "It's a long story Ryu-chan..." he began, but paused at the sensation of something foreign against his chest. Puzzled black eyes moved their line of vision downwards, and widened to the size of dinner plates at the two lumps on Ryuichi's chest. "Um, Ryu-chan?"

Ryuichi smiled radiantly. "Yes Tatsuha-kun?"

"I-I'm not going to judge you or anything..." Tatsuha began nervously. "But...when did you become a girl?" _"And why!?"_

To his astonishment, Ryuichi giggled. "You're so silly, Tatsuha-kun! Ryu-chan's always been a boy, na no da!"

"Really? Then why do you have breasts?" Tatsuha asked skeptically as he pointed to the lumps on Ryuichi's chest, trying not to stare. _"God, I feel like a pervert..."_

Ryuichi's eyes stared in disbelief at the new appendages. The singer squeaked in surprise, falling out of Tatsuha's arms and onto the floor._ "What the fuck..?"_

"Ryuichi!" Tatsuha panicked as he kneeled down next to the frozen singer on the floor. "Are you alright?"

Ryuichi nodded numbly. _"When...When did I become a girl? Last I checked I was a guy..."_ he thought dazedly. _"Who...who turned me into one? Wait..."_ A certain kidnapper appeared in the brunette's mind. _"New appearance...?"_

"The red haired man who kidnapped me!" Ryuichi shouted suddenly, causing Tatsuha to jump. "Where is he?!"

Tatsuha frowned._ "Red haired man?"_ He gasped in realization. "Jeffrey!"

Getting to his feet, Tatsuha glared at his best friend. He hissed like an enraged snake. "What did you do to Ryuichi?"

Jeffrey, who had been silent all the while, flinched. "Boss..."

Tatsuha's eyes scowled as fury engulfed him. "DON'T YOU BOSS ME!" He thundered as he roughly grabbed his second in command's collar and slammed him harshly against the wall. Cracks appeared along strong cement.

Hellfire's Boss moved his face fatally close to his second in command's, a thousand and one emotions swirling in fathomless black depths. "What did you do to Ryuichi?"

"Yes," Tatsuha started as the object of his affections came to stand beside him. Ryuichi's blue eyes were narrowed angrily. "What did you to do me? Why did you do this to me? Why did you kidnap me in the first place?" The brunette paused. "And who's the Boss of Hellfire?"

Jeffrey took a deep breath, before locking golden eyes with Ryuichi's blue orbs. "I, well, my friend and I got certain extremely skilled people who specialize in operations on the human body to change your sex. We did this as we thought that you could fall for Shade as a girl, since you weren't able to as a guy. We wanted Shade to be happy."The red haired man continued," I kidnapped you for that exact reason. As for your last question, he's standing right beside you."

"What?" Ryuichi turned to look beside him, only to come face to face with a silent Tatsuha. "T-Tatsuha-kun...? You're the Boss of Hellfire? You're the one who ordered this crazy American to kidnap me?"

Tatsuha winced at Ryuichi's hurt gaze. "Y-Yeah..."

"No..." Ryuichi collapsed to his knees on the floor. "No, that can't be true!"

Tatsuha lowered regretful black eyes, "Ryuichi..." He reached out a hand to the singer.

"NO!" Ryuichi slapped Tatsuha's hand away. "You're not Tatsuha! I refuse to believe you're Tatsuha!"

"The Tatsuha I knew was a kind monk who took me to the zoo and dressed up as an animal with me without any complaints! He accompanied me anywhere I wanted to go willingly when no one else would!" He was a caring, kind and gentle boy!"

Ryuichi gave Tatsuha a withering glare, and the black haired man felt something stab painfully into his heart. "He isn't the boss of some underground and shady organization in America who would order his henchman to kidnap me and change my fucking gender without my permission!"

"You're not Tatsuha. I don't know who the fuck you are or why you're impersonating him but you're not him." Ryuichi snarled at the silent Tatsuha. "Get out of my sight, imposter."

"But I am Tatsuha! I just go by a different name now, and I admit I've changed a lot over these five years, but I am him!" Tatsuha cried out desperately, staring at the love of his life with pleading black eyes, resisting the urge to clutch a hand to his pained heart. "Please believe me, Ryuichi!"

Ryuichi narrowed blue eyes in a glare as cold as icy winters,"It's Sakuma to you, and you're an imbecile if you think I'll believe a word of your bullshit." The vocalist growled. "Now get out."

"Let's go, Shade." Jeffrey murmured as he placed a hand on the trembling man's shoulder. He turned his golden gaze to the furious Ryuichi. "He-She isn't going to listen to anything you say right now."

Tatsuha sighed. With Jeffrey's gentle hand on his shoulder, he slowly made his way to the door, obsidian eyes fixed sadly on his idol, who refused to even look at him. "Ryuichi..."

The two men exited the room, the taller of them closing the door softly behind him, leaving Nittle Grasper's lead singer to drown in the unending pits of depair.


	4. Chapter 3: Tatsuha's Past

_Author's Note_

_Thank you very, very much for taking the time to review my story after you have read it, _blueberry_. Words canot describe how happy and relieved I am to finally see a review when I logged into my account today to post this chapter. You have brought a smile to my face with your review, and I really am grateful._

_I am glad that you find my story interesting_ _and that you think it deserves more reviews. And yes, I will continue updating it, now that I know there is at least one person wanting for it to be so._

_I thank you again for your lovely review, _blueberry, _and I dedicate this extra long chapter to you. I really hope you will enjoy it, and I apologize for it being a day late, as I have been busy with other duties._

**Warnings: Use of vulgarities, gender bender, slight AU, possibility of characters being out of character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Gravitation and its characters. They belong to Maki Murakami. However, I do own Jeffrey, Bianca, Dean, the unamed photographer in the previous chapter, Lionel Dream and the waitress Kate in this chapter. **

**Notes for this chapter:** _The Modern _**is a real restaurant in America, and should be in New York. They do serve the food mentioned in this chapter. However, I have never been to the place, so I do not know what the service there is like. I am just making it up, and it is probably not true, and is in fact more formal, nor are the guests so...undignified.**

**

* * *

**

"Ryuichi must hate me now," Tatsuha said gloomily as he fell limply onto the couch in the living room. "But I guess I do deserve it."

Jeffrey, who was on the couch with him, shook his head sadly, "It's not your fault, Shade. It's mine," he spoke, golden eyes full of regret. "I was the one idiotic enough to think that turning Sakuma into a girl would make him fall for you." He bowed his head low. "Please, punish me as you see fit."

Tatsuha turned to his best friend. Jeffrey started at the sight of tears in his superior's eyes. Shade never cried.

Tatsuha smiled, sadness on his lips, "Get up Jeffrey. It's not your fault. It's mine. _I _was the one who was enough of an _imbecile _to give you a mission when I was drunk. And I know how seriously you take your missions." Tatsuha gave a bitter laugh as tears trickled down his cheeks. "At least, I _should have known_ how seriously you take your missions."

"Come to think of it, you don't know how old I am, do you?" The mature looking man turned to his companion, who shook his head. "I'm 21, Jeffrey."

"21!? You can't be fucking serious," Jeffrey shook his head, golden eyes wide in disbelief. "You look like you're in your late thirties, Shade!"

Tatsuha smiled, "I'm completely serious, Jeffrey. I am currently 21 years old."

"God, really? Fuck, that means I'm twice your age! I'm 42, and I always thought you were somewhere around 37 or 38 years old!"

Tatsuha laughed at Jeffrey's exclamation of incredulity. "Yeah, I sure look it, huh?" He sighed wearily, running a hand through raven locks, obsidian eyes staring at the ceiling in nostalgia. "Sometimes I wish I was older. Then maybe I would have had a chance with Ryuichi."

"I see. Sakuma's much older than you huh?" Jeffrey mused. "That must have been the reason why he didn't fall for you; I always thought it was because he didn't like guys, which was why I decided to change his gender in the first place..."

"Yeah," Tatsuha said, dark eyes still staring blankly at the ceiling. "I guess he didn't want to seem like a paedophile."

The two men lapsed into silence for a moment. The room was completely silent except for the sounds of sobs coming from the bedroom. Tatsuha's heart clenched painfully. He felt like a complete bastard. Even worse than what his brother had been. _"It's been such a long time since I've last seen Aniki and Shuichi... and Mika too."_

"Hey Shade?" Jeffrey broke the silence between them somewhat reluctantly. Tatsuha turned to face him. "Why did Sakuma call you Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha looked at him for a moment before sighing. _"I suppose it's time Jeffrey knew about my past." _

"My real name is Uesegi Tatsuha. I lived in Japan for most of my life. I was a 16 year old monk, and the younger brother of Japan's famous romance novelist Eiri Yuki and Seguchi Mika, the wife of the Boss of NG Productions, is my older sister," Tatsuha revealed. "Sakuma Ryuichi was and still is my idol and his rival, Shindou Shuichi was and should still be my brother's lover."

"I was quite...wild when I was a teenager," Tatsuha laughed, fondly looking back on the past, as he rested his chin on his hands, "I used to go to all sorts of clubs, get drunk; pick up the pretty ladies there to bring them home to my bed, run off to Tokyo to catch a Nittle Grasper concert..."

"Then one day my father decided that I was getting too...out of control," Tatsuha frowned at the memory. "He told me he didn't want me to become like my big brother Eiri, who had abandoned his duties and run off to 'get hitched with some stupid gay rock star'. I was the successor of the temple, and I was to act like it. He arranged for me to get more acquainted with the duties of a monk, set up a curfew, placed all sorts of restrictions on me..."

"Naturally, I got pissed off," Tatsuha scowled, leaning back with his hands behind his head, "I mean, I was a teenage boy then. I loved freedom. I loved roaming the streets at night, running off to Tokyo to visit my brother and catch my favourite band's concert...to have that all suddenly taken away from me was a huge shock."

"And I couldn't do anything about it. I tried to tell Mika but she said it was for my own good. Eiri, being his usual cold bastard self, told me he didn't give a damn," the black haired man gave a sigh. "And I couldn't really complain to Dad either."

"One day, I couldn't take the pressure anymore. I made a decision to run off to America. I guess I sort of wanted them to believe I was mature enough to live my own life in a foreign country. I read English books and actually paid attention to my teacher in English class. When I felt I had a good grasp on the language, I gathered up all the savings I had, and well, some of Dad's as well, and fled quietly in the middle of the night."

"Of course, when I got to America I realized I had made a grave mistake," Tatsuha said sadly. "Even though my English was decent, it was nothing compared to how Americans spoke. I had trouble communicating with the people there and thus it was difficult to find a job."

"I did not have enough money for an apartment. I slept on benches and anywhere suitable enough to be a resting spot," the man went on. "And that's where _he _found me."

"He?" Jeffrey asked curiously.

The black haired man nodded, "_Lionel Dream_, the previous Boss of _Hellfire._ He walked up to me on a park bench one night, and asked me what was a young man like me doing out so late at night. He seemed kind and was the first person who actually bothered to approach me, so I told him my story. He took pity on me and offered to take me in."

"I lived with him for a few days. Turns out he had lived in Japan for several years, and spoke fluent Japanese. I found out he was the Boss of an organization called _Hellfire," _Tatsuha revealed. "When I heard he was a Boss, I begged him to employ me."

"He merely looked at me with sad eyes, and told me I was too young for an organization like _Hellfire._ I asked him why, and well, he told me the truth." Tatsuha sighed. "I was shocked at first. But then I decided; how bad could working for an underground organization be? I mean, their Boss was kind enough to take a homeless boy in. And I didn't want to spend the rest of my life wasting away without some sort of job."

"So I told him what I thought, that I was tough and could handle whatever this organization wanted me to do," Tatsuha chuckled with mirth. "I suppose I was pretty desperate then. He looked skeptical at first, but sighed and eventually relented. He told me my training would begin in a few days."

"I was ecstatic, but not for long. He started training me personally, and he wasn't kidding when he told me it wouldn't be easy." The black haired man winced at the memory. "It was hell. I won't go into details here, partly because I'm not allowed to tell you about it, and because...well, let's just say I was so tired after each session that I often woke up, only to go back to sleep again, because I couldn't even _move_."

"But I never gave up, even if I felt like it countless times," the raven haired man gritted his teeth, a multitude of emotions swirling in his obsidian eyes. "I...I wanted to show that I wasn't so weak that I would collapse from mere training, that I could survive without Father, Eiri and Mika." Tatsuha smiled. "And I guess in a twisted way, I wanted to be good enough for Ryuichi as well."

"One day, during a session of, um, target practice, he pulled me off to the side. His face was stern, and I wondered if I had done something wrong. I was surprised when he gave me a bright smile and told me that he was very proud of me that I had managed to survive; most people would have given up after some time, either because of exhaustion or, well, death. He asked me if I had been trained by anyone else besides him and I told him the only people who had ever trained me were my Father and the monks he got to oversee my training."

"Naturally, I got a shock when he told me that the training I had had to go through as a monk might have been what had helped me survive. I didn't debate on it for long though." Tatsuha smiled. "My training ended in a few days, and he took me to Headquarters."

"Everything was going well; he introduced me to everyone, I went on missions without much trouble," Tatsuha grinned at his long time friend, "That was around the time I met you, wasn't it?"

Jeffrey grinned back, "Yeah, you were a charming, carefree but devious man back then, and I was a cocky and smug bastard," he smirked. "We fit perfectly, didn't we?"

Tatsuha smirked in amusement. "Like two peas in a pod, Jeff."

Jeffrey grinned widely. "Hey, it's been such a long time since you last called me that!"

Tatsuha chuckled, "It's only been about a few weeks, Jeff," then he turned serious. "But as you can see, I had a lot on my mind. I'm sorry Jeff."

"Hey it's okay Shade. I understand." Jeffrey gave his best friend a forgiving smile," Anyway are you going to continue with your story?"

Tatsuha smiled. "Well, you know the rest Jeff. Everything was fine until _that incident,"_ he growled. "Remember? He...passed away."

Jeffrey snarled angrily. "Yeah. I still haven't forgiven the bastards who poisoned his tea. How the fuck could they have done that anyway? Our security's perfect!"

Tatsuha bit his lip harshly. Blood seeped out of the wound. "I don't know. In fact I'm still trying to find out who did it."

"I see," Jeffrey sighed, resting against the sofa. "You had a hard life huh, Shade?" Then he smiled. "Well, at least he selected you to be his successor, right?"

Tatsuha gave a small smile, "Yeah," he became silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "The truth is, I didn't want to accept the job at first. I didn't think I was nearly good enough. But it was his dying wish," he ran a hand through his black hair almost tiredly, "I didn't want to disappoint him when he had such high hopes for me."

Jeffrey frowned. "Oh."

"Yeah," Tatsuha agreed with himself. "Being the Boss of _Hellfire_ was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life; dealing with enemy attacks, the rejection of his second in command and many others, strategizing plans, oh and let's not forget the mountains of paperwork so kindly bestowed upon me. It was _hell_ at its worst. Kind of fits with the name _Hellfire, _huh?" Tatsuha let out an amused snort.

Jeffrey laughed in return. The black haired man smirked, "But as you can see I survived the ordeal and managed to get people to give me the respect I deserve. I almost didn't, but I thought of his face and gained the will to carry on."

The Boss of _Hellfire _gave a sigh. "I guess I also wanted to prove that like the rest of my family and the people around me I was worth something," the black haired man narrowed his eyes. "That I could _be someone, _thatI _wasn't _just a troublesome and useless brat like everyone thought I was. I could be an adult, be the Boss of a powerful organization without assistance, that I could and _would _hold an important position like Eiri, Mika, Shuichi and Seguchi and even Ryuichi, without collapsing under the pressure."

Suddenly Tatsuha grinned, "Or maybe I just wanted to be worthy and manly enough for my precious Ryu-chan." He joked.

Jeffrey grinned back. "Maybe."

There was silence for a moment. Tatsuha noticed that the sobs had stopped. "I better go check on him," Tatsuha muttered, getting up from the couch. "Bye Jeff, and thanks for taking the time to listen to my sob story."

Jeffrey smiled, "Yeah. Bye Shade." He didn't have the heart to correct the pronoun 'him'. "Take care, yeah? And remember I'm always here if you need me."

Tatsuha nodded with a smile, before disappearing into the bedroom. The red haired man sighed before making his way towards the door.

_"I hope Sakuma doesn't break him too much..."_

* * *

Sakuma Ryuichi was huddled on the bed, face buried in a pillow. The singer had cried until the tears wouldn't fall anymore, and was now releasing muffled sobs into the soft velvet, slender body trembling uncontrollably.

There was a soft noise as the bedroom door opened and someone stepped in. The person called out softly, "Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi ignored the new presence. Footsteps echoed in the almost silent room as the newcomer came to stand beside the bed. "Ryuichi..."

"Go away, _imposter."_Tatsuha flinched at the cold tone.

He turned his hurt gaze on the singer. "I'm not an imposter, Ryuichi."

"Yeah right, and I'm a woman," There was a pause, before a bitter laugh sounded from bitten and bloody lips. "Oh wait, I _am _a woman."

Tatsuha grimaced at the reminder of his actions. Sighing, he slowly crawled onto the bed, until he was kneeling next to his idol's shaking form. Gently, he pried away the vocalist's grip on the pillow, before taking hold of his chin and directing his love's gaze to his dark eyes.

Narrowed blue eyes rimmed with red faced him with a hurt and angry gaze and the black haired man resisted the urge to flinch. He sighed. The fan boy had always dreamed of the day when his idol would gaze at him, and him alone, with those gorgeous and sexy blue eyes he had always watched from his place a few inches in front of the television at home or a front row seat of a Nittle Grasper concert. Ironically enough, his dream had come true, just not in the way he had expected.

Tatsuha took a deep breath, before locking pleading black orbs with hurt blue.

"Look at me Ryuichi. Look at my height, my face, my black hair and black eyes," Tatsuha never once moved his gaze from Ryuichi's blue eyes. "Look into my eyes. Do I look like I'm lying?"

"Am I still an imposter to you?"

"Yes." Ryuichi replied with little hesitation, and Tatsuha would have groaned had he not caught sight of the slight doubt in Ryuichi's eyes. _"At least I'm getting somewhere..."_

Sighing for the umpteenth time, the raven haired man took a hold of the singer's wrist. "Well, at least come and eat something. You're so thin." The brunette remained silent. Tatsuha frowned. "Please?"

There was a short nod, and Tatsuha smiled in relief. Gently tugging the singer away from the bed, he led him out of the bedroom and out of the house and to his car, "Sorry, I'm not really a good cook so we'll just have to eat out."

"Since when did you have a car?" The brunette could not help his curiosity as he settled into the car seat. _"A Mercedes too. Is he rich?"_

Tatsuha smiled at the question. _"I didn't have a car when I was a teenager. Ryuichi must be beginning to believe me."_

The raven haired man chuckled, "Since a few years ago. A lot can change in five years, Ryuichi." He said mysteriously. Ryuichi just nodded.

"So, where do you want to go to eat?" Tatsuha switched to English, knowing that Ryuichi had always been better at the language than Japanese. "You lived in America for 3 years, right?"

Silence filled the car for a moment, as Ryuichi contemplated both the fact that the black haired man knew that he had lived in America for 3 years and had probably begun speaking English for his sake as well as the decision on where to have their lunch.

"We can go to a restaurant. I don't mind paying," Tatsuha added at Ryuichi's hesitation. He smiled. "I can afford such a luxury now."

Tatsuha smiled in satisfaction as Ryuichi's eyes widened at the last word of his sentence. _"I'm changing his mind alright."_

_"The Modern,"_ Ryuichi spoke softly in perfect English, and Tatsuha's smile grew at the fact that Ryuichi had accepted him trying to make things easier for him. "Or is that too expensive for you?"

Tatsuha smiled reassuringly, "Nothing is too expensive when it comes to you, Ryuichi."

* * *

Tatsuha and Ryuichi entered _The Modern._ A waitress strolled briskly up to them, with a smile on her pretty face. "Xander! It has been a long time!"

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at the name. Tatsuha smiled charmingly. "Indeed it has, Kate."

Kate smiled. "So, who's your companion this time?" She then noticed Ryuichi, and beamed. "Is this her? She's very pretty. Is she your girlfriend?"

Ryuichi growled at the word, 'girlfriend'. Tatsuha gave a weak smile. "No Kate, h- she's just a friend. Sorry but she's in a pretty bad mood right now because she's hungry. Could you lead us to a table please?"

Kate blinked, "Oh," then she giggled, before turning to the fuming Ryuichi. "Are you sure it's not because it's your time of the month? Just between you and me, it is, right?"_  
_  
Ryuichi blinked in confusion. _"Time of the month?"_

Taking Ryuichi's silence as a 'yes', the waitress smiled brightly, "I knew it!"

Tatsuha sighed in exasperation, resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair. "Kate..."

The waitress giggled. "Sorry Xander!" She smiled before leading them through the restaurant. "Here, it's this way."

Kate led them to a seat beside the tall glass windows which reached the ceiling. "The menus are on the table," she smiled at her customers. "I have to attend to other customers now. Call me over when you've decided on what to order." With that, she left to do her job.

The two of them scanned their menus for a few minutes. When they had decided on what to order, Tatsuha called Kate over.

"I would like to order _Smoked Bullet Sturgeon with Truffle and Beet Vinaigrette_, as well as _Celeriac Soup with Friend Poached Egg_." Tatsuha informed the waitress.

"Alright," Kate smiled as she took down Tatsuha's order. She then turned to Ryuichi. "How about you, Dear?"

"_Wild Boar Strip Loin with Rutabaga_ and _Yukon Gold Terrine_ and _Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise with Raspberry Sorbet_." Ryuichi mumbled.

Kate blinked. "Your voice is quite deep for a girl's," she frowned thoughtfully, "And you look familiar somehow. What's your name, Dear?"

"Ryu-" Ryuichi began, but was cut off quickly by Tatsuha.

"She's Ryuko, Ryuko Minagawa," Tatsuha gave the waitress a dazzling smile. "She's my cousin from Japan."

Kate gaped, "She's _Japanese? _But her English's _perfect!_"

"She lived in America for several years." Tatsuha explained.

Kate blinked. "Oh," then she beamed brightly. "Alright, before I go to get your orders, what drinks would you like?"

Ryuichi opened his mouth, but Tatsuha was faster, "We would both like plain water please." He smiled with charm. Earlier, the raven haired man had caught sight of the singer staring at the end of the drinks section, which contained alcohol.

With a nod, the waitress left, but not before giving Ryuichi a curious glance. Ryuichi gave a scowl which almost seemed like a pout and fell back into his seat. "I hate you."

Tatsuha resisted the urge to laugh at the vocalist's unintended cuteness. Instead, he said, "You hardly look different from how you were before."

At Ryuichi's confused look, he went on. "Kate, the waitress just now; she's a fan of Nittle Grasper. Not as big a fan as me or even Amanda, but a fan nonetheless. She just likes your music, though she has seen pictures of you a few times." He smiled, "Even with that little knowledge of Nittle Grasper, she recognized you. Well, almost recognized you."

Ryuichi blinked. "Oh." The singer then immersed himself in his thoughts.

Sighing inwardly at the silence, Tatsuha turned his head to look around the restaurant. It was filled with people; families chatting happily, couples looking at each other lovingly. Tatsuha smiled at the lively ambience of the place before turning to stare at his companion.

_"This almost feels like a date," _The black haired man thought as he turned his obsidian gaze to his brunette companion. _"If it were any other situation, I would have been euphoric. And I'm sure Ryuichi would have been quite happy as well...though it's obvious that neither of us can feel any sort of happiness right now."_

"Here's your order!" Tatsuha started as plates of food were placed in front of him and Ryuichi. Kate put down two glasses of plain water on the table and smiled. She winked. "Call me when you're done, okay?"

Tatsuha nodded and the waitress walked away. He and Ryuichi began eating their lunch in silence. Half way through, Tatsuha looked up, and was glad to see that Ryuichi was actually eating, and not just picking at his food with little interest like he had half expected him to do.

When they were both done, Tatsuha called Kate over. She smiled brightly and presented the bill to him. He fished out his wallet from his leather pants and pulled out his credit card, handing it to Kate and signing his acknowledgement. When Kate came back with his credit card, he took it back and stood up to leave. "Well, bye Kate-"

"Wait!" Tatsuha raised an eyebrow at the exclamation. He turned to Kate who had out a piece of paper. "Can I have your autograph?"

Tatsuha resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Kate..."

"Please!" The raven haired man sighed and took the piece of paper, signing his signature with a flourish and even included a tiny heart to please the girl.

"Here." Tatsuha handed the piece of paper back to the ecstatic woman.

Kate grinned in happiness as she studied Tatsuha's neat signature and the tiny heart. "YES!" She yelled, "I GOT XANDER WINTERS'S AUTOGRAPH!" She smiled. "Now I just have to get Ryuichi Sakuma's...oh but he's in Japan..."

Tatsuha's eyes had widened during Kate's exclamation. He hissed, "Kate, not so loud! Do you want the whole world to know or something?!"

Kate smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Xander." But it was too late.

Tatsuha grimaced as people started to look in their direction.

_"Xander Winters? Isn't he that hot new model?"_

_"Really?!Where?!"_

_"Oh my god, it's Xander! He's just as sexy as ever!"_

"Fuck," Tatsuha muttered. He grabbed a surprised Ryuichi's hand and dashed out of the restaurant, as fans squealed and began to chase after the two of them. "Damn you Kate!"

"Xander! Can I have your autograph?!"

"I love you Xander!"

"Mr Winters! Can I have a word with you please?!"

"Xander, I want to have your babies!"

"Marry me, Xander!"

"Mr Winters! Who's the girl with you? Is she your girlfriend?!"

"God damn it, the paparazzi!" Tatsuha groaned as he threw open his car door, getting into the driver's seat. Turning the key in the ignition, he glanced at the frozen Ryuichi who was in the passenger's seat. "Sorry Ryuichi, but I'm going to have to drive _fast._"

Ryuichi was in too much shock to reply. Pressing down on the accelerator as hard as he could, Tatsuha sped off the road. His fans were so loud he could hear them from a mile away. Gritting his teeth, he zoomed past buildings and people, keeping his eyes concentrated on the road. It would not do for two famous people to get killed in a car crash.

In several minutes, they had arrived at Tatsuha's house. Tatsuha was relieved to see none of his fans and at the lack of paparazzi behind him. He got out and unlocked the door, stepping inside and collapsing onto the nearby couch, "Damn, I'm exhausted..."

"So, you're a model?" Tatsuha jumped at the deep voice. He turned around to face narrowed blue eyes.

The black haired man gave a nod. "Yeah."

A raised eyebrow was his response. "And here I thought you were the Boss of _Hellfire,"_ Ryuichi spat out the name of the organization like it was a bitter taste on his tongue. Tatsuha resisted the urge to wince at the malice in his idol's voice. "Who are you really, _Xander?"_

Tatsuha sighed, locking black with blue. "I have two identities, Shade Runner and Xander Winters. Shade is what I'm known as among the organization's members and probably rival organizations and Xander Winters is my official name."

"I'm a model by day. I work as the Boss of _Hellfire _at, well, anytime I want. I don't really have any specific working hours," he explained. "Of course as Boss I've already assigned their working hours to the members of my organization, since we need to be prepared at all times. But since I'm the Boss of _Hellfire, _I can come and go anytime I want." _"And that's only after going through the fires of hell."_

"Why did you become a model then? You already hold such a _powerful_ position. Why would a Boss of an underground organization lower himself to the workings of us _plebeians?"_"

I was scouted by my manager," Tatsuha explained, trying to ignore the hurt in his heart at Ryuichi's sarcasm. "She came up to me when I was drinking coffee one day. She praised my looks and asked if I would like to try out a job as a model. She claimed I was perfect for the job. I didn't see any reason to refuse so I agreed."

Tatsuha smiled, "At first I was skeptical, but after a few photo shoots I discovered that I loved it. Call me an exhibitionist if you want, but I love modelling. I love having my picture taken in various poses, seeing myself in magazines, completely in my element."

Tatsuha turned to a silent Ryuichi. "Why did you become a singer, Ryuichi?"

"Because I love singing." Was the simple but honest answer.

Tatsuha smiled, "Exactly. Then you should understand, shouldn't you? The reason for doing something you love; simply because you love it."

There was silence for a moment, before Ryuichi spoke, but in a less harsh tone than before. "I'm going to bed."

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow, watching the singer walk to his bedroom. He glanced at his watch. "It's only 3PM, Ryuichi."

"I'm tired." Was the short reply before the door closed behind the brunette.

Tatsuha stared at the closed door. Then he shrugged. "Well I guess I won't be sleeping in there anytime soon." He sighed, lying down to rest his back against the soft leather of the couch. "I'm worn out. The past few days have been nothing short of hectic, both physically and mentally, especially since Ryuichi is back in my life now."

The model gave a yawn, "Oh well, I guess I'll just take a quick nap." With that, the raven haired man closed obsidian eyes. In a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

* * *

A certain singer sat upon the bed in Tatsuha's bedroom, blue eyes staring at the sheets listlessly. _"I'm so confused..."_

The brunette thought back to the earlier conversation with Tatsuha; the pride in his voice as he talked about his job as the Boss of _Hellfire,_ the passion and happiness in his eyes as he described his love for modelling.

"_Then you should understand, shouldn't you? The reason for doing something you love; simply because you love it."_

The raven haired man's words echoed in Ryuichi's mind. The singer sighed. _"Could...could he really be Tatsuha? He certainly looks like him, but that's because he's an imposter. ...Right? _

_But then again his personality seems to be like Tatsuha; thoughtful, kind, gentle. The little things he does; like switching to English for my sake, telling me that nothing is too expensive when it comes to me with such a gentle smile...they're all so genuine and so...Tatsuha. N__o one could be that good of an actor, could they? Hell, I don't think I would be able to, and I pursued an actual career in acting for three years."_

"I...I want to believe," the blue eyed singer murmured. A sad smile was on his lips. "But I don't _dare_ to believe. I don't want to have my heart broken again like the last time..."

At the thought, a picture of a grinning blond with captivating eyes as red as the colour of blood flashed in the brunette's mind; _"Mirai..."_

_"No, I'm over him," _Ryuichi shook his head furiously; shredding the image into tiny pieces and letting them drift into the darkest corners of his mind.

"The bastard betrayed my trust. I will never come remotely close to loving him again." Ryuichi growled. Anger stirring up at the memory, the vocalist slammed his fist against the wall, watching in satisfaction as the force of his punch made little cracks on the cement. _"Well at least I'm still as strong as I was before."_

Having let out his anger, the singer went back to his musing. "Though, if he really is Tatsuha, he wouldn't let me down. But then again, does Tatsuha even love me?" Blue eyes widened. "Wait, does this mean I love Tatsuha? I know I _liked_ him before, but did I _love _him? And if I did, do I still love him?"

Ryuichi groaned in frustration. "This is all so confusing. I'm being so fucking _emotional. _It must be part of being a _girl." _Nittle Grasper's vocalist muttered, rolling his eyes, getting up from the bed. "I should go and take a walk to clear my head."

* * *

Ryuichi made his way out of the bedroom, heading in the direction of the door. The singer was about to open the door when he caught sight of the sleeping figure on the couch. Blinking curiously, the brunette removed his hand from the door knob, choosing to walk over to the dozing black haired man instead.

The vocalist stared at the sleeping Tatsuha. "He looks so innocent when he's asleep." The singer murmured, reaching out a hand to brush raven locks away from the man's closed eyes. _"Just like the Tatsuha I knew."_

Ryuichi started in surprise as the raven haired man shifted slightly. A whisper escaped closed lips. "Ryuichi..."_  
_  
Ryuichi blinked. "Is...Is he dreaming about me?"

As if to answer his idol's question, Tatsuha's lips moved again. "Why do you hate me so much, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi felt a painful stab of guilt in his heart at the man's broken tone. The singer hesitated for a moment before crawling atop the model, placing his knees in between Tatsuha's legs and resting his head onto his chest.

The brunette lifted his head. "I don't hate you Tatsuha," the vocalist murmured, gazing upon the sleeping face. "I just have a lot to think about right now." Blue eyes stared with a slightly pleading look at closed eyelids. "Please, wait for me?"

Tatsuha smiled, as if hearing Ryuichi's words inside his dreams. "Anything for you, Ryuichi." He mumbled, snaking an arm around his love's waist and pulling the vocalist closer to him. "Anything for you..."

Ryuichi smiled contentedly. "Thank you, Tatsuha." The singer paused for a moment, before snuggling into the black haired man's chest.

_"Well, I suppose sleeping like this for once wouldn't hurt." _The brunette thought as he closed his blue eyes, the stress of the past few days catching up on him. _"Mmm...he's so warm..."_

Ryuichi fell asleep to the steady sound of Tatsuha's heartbeat.


	5. Chapter 4: Discovery

_Author's Note_

_Once again, thank you very much_ blueberry_, for reviewing my story. I truly am glad you are so intrigued with this story. Thank you for your well wishes and I wish you a Merry Christmas too~_

_I'm also happy that you think the chappie was fabulous and you could feel the emotions of the characters. After all, that is one of the main points of this story; exploring the characters minds; the emotions they feel and how they would react to certain situations, while trying to keep their personalities as intact as possible. It is a challenge for me, and is also one which I enjoy taking on. So I am glad to see I have succeeded to a certain extent._

**_Warnings: Slight AU, gender bender, use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character._**

**_Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me, but Maki Murakami. I do, however, own Bianca, Miss Star(the photographer in the previous chapter), Jeffrey, Dean, Lionel Dream and the waitress Kate._**

_**Notes for this chapter: Fluff in this chapter; yes, there is fluff in this angst-filled story. Just a little though, but at least it's there, right? It's one of my favourite scenes too. Ryuichi is too adorable for words~! Oh and the plot finally moves forward. Also, I'm not a model, so I don't really know what the occupation involves; I am just making it up.**

* * *

_

Morning arrived, warm rays of sunlight pouring into the living room and rousing a black haired man from his slumber. Tatsuha blinked blearily, a yawn escaping his mouth. _"What time is it...?"_

Tatsuha's eyes widened at the digital numbers on his watch. "It's 7AM...did I really sleep for that long?"

"Oh well, I better get ready for work." The model muttered, moving to get up from the couch. That was when he noticed the presence of a weight on top of him. Puzzled, he looked up. Obsidian eyes widened at the sight that met his eyes.

Ryuichi was lying on top of him, blue eyes closed in peaceful slumber, brown bangs swept across his forehead. He was snuggled close to Tatsuha's chest, wearing a small, content smile on his face. The sunlight illuminated the singer's perfect features, making it seem as if his body were giving off a soft, ethereal glow.

_"He looks like an angel..."_ Tatsuha thought in wonder as he stared at the brown haired beauty straddling him.

A grin broke across his face. _"Come to think of it, I've never seen Ryuichi sleeping before."_ Tatsuha sighed dreamily. _"This is a dream come true!"_

The raven haired man reached out a hand to gently caress the sleeping singer's cheek. _"He looks so peaceful when he's asleep..."_

Tatsuha sighed as he leaned back, staring at the love of his life. _"I would love to just lie down like this all day and stare at Ryuichi sleep, but I have a life; unfortunately."_

He smiled wistfully. _"How I wish I had a camera right now. I would put this picture into my photo album of Ryuichi as my most prized possession..."_ He sighed. _"Oh well, time to wake him up. Though I wish I didn't have to..."_

The raven haired man moved the hand on Ryuichi's cheek to his shoulder, "Hey, Ryuichi." He shook the sleeping singer gently. "Wake up."

The singer twitched a little, mumbling. "Five more minutes, Tohma..."

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow. _"Tohma?"_ The man shrugged before proceeding to shake the sleeping singer's shoulder again, "Hey Ryuichi, I have to go to work..."

At this, the singer let out a little yawn. Slowly, sleepy blue eyes opened. "Mmm...Work? Singing?" He gave a dazed smile. "Ryu-chan loves singing!"

Tatsuha stared. _"So cute!"_ He had to resist the urge to glomp the half asleep singer. Controlling himself, he said. "No, not singing, Ryu-chan. Modelling."

Ryuichi blinked slowly. "Oh." The singer then blinked a few more times before his eyes widened. "Oh!"

Tatsuha smiled in amusement, "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

The model watched as the singer, now awake, got off him. Stretching, he turned to Ryuichi.

Tatsuha smiled. He could not resist. "You're adorable when you're half asleep."

Ryuichi blushed. "Shut up."

Tatsuha laughed, fondly ruffling the pouting singer's hair. "Hey, there's no need to be embarrassed. I think it's cute." He smirked teasingly. "Ryu-chan."

Ryuichi glared half heartedly, swatting at Tatsuha's hand. "Go away, imposter."

Tatsuha smirked. "That's the first time I've ever heard an insult sound more like a term of affection." He easily dodged Ryuichi's punch, laughing with mirth.

Ryuichi glared. "Damn you."

Tatsuha merely smirked. "I'm the Boss of _Hellfire_. I've already been _damned_ in the fires of _Hell_." He chuckled amusedly, getting up from the couch. "Just kidding." He turned to the still glaring singer. "I'm going to take a shower, _Ryu-chan_."

With that seemingly permanent smirk on his face, the Boss of Hellfire sauntered off in the direction of the bathroom, waving to the singer over his shoulder, chortling in amusement as he went. Ryuichi scowled after him.

The brown haired singer pouted, settling back into the soft leather of the couch. "Stupid, arrogant, cocky, bastard."

* * *

Tohma paced around the room worriedly, waiting for the person who could bring him news of his missing band mate. The singer had missed the previous day's recording session, but Tohma had passed it off as Ryuichi being too exhausted from the gruelling session he had put the members of Nittle Grasper through to come, and was sleeping the day away.

However, when Ryuichi didn't come for practice on Monday (Sunday was an official off day) the blond had started to worry. With an anxious Noriko beside him, he had driven his car to the brown haired singer's home, thinking he was sick. When no one had answered when he rang the doorbell, Tohma used the spare key Ryuichi had given him to unlock the door before stepping inside with his female band mate.

The sight of the empty apartment sent a chill up his spine. Taking several steps forward, he called out, "Ryuichi?"

There was no reply. Feeling the beginnings of panic, Tohma dashed off to the bedroom. He slammed the door open. "Ryuichi!"

His eyes widened at the sight of the empty bed. "No...Ryuichi..."

Refusing to believe the reality of the situation, Tohma made his way to the bathroom in Ryuichi's bedroom. He knocked on the door a few times as force of habit, before opening it. "Ryuichi?"

Silence and an empty bathroom greeted him. Tohma bit his lip. Whipping out his cell phone, he dialled Ryuichi's number.

_"This is Ryu-chan and Kumagoro, na no da~! We're busy right now so leave your message after the beep okay? We'll get back to you later, na no da~! Bye and Kuma Kisses~!" *BEEP*_

Tohma growled in frustration, resisting the urge to hurl his phone onto the floor. At that moment, Noriko burst in.

"Tohma! Look what I found!" The purple haired female exclaimed, holding up a pink bunny.

Tohma felt his blood run cold at the sight of Ryuichi's favourite toy. _"Ryuichi never leaves Kumagoro behind."_

"Ryuichi never leaves Kumagoro behind," Noriko frowned worriedly, voicing the blond's thoughts. "Tohma, do you think..."

Tohma shook his head. "He could be at Shuichi's," he reasoned. "I'll call him."

The blond dialled Shuichi's phone number, waiting impatiently for the pink haired singer to pick up. Fortunately, he did not take long.

A sleepy voice answered. "Hirooo...don't tell me it's time yet...it's only 8AM! I don't want to get up-"

Tohma frowned. "Shuichi, is Ryuichi with you?"

"Ryuichi? He went home after accompanying me to apologize to Eiri two nights ago," Shuichi frowned. "What's wrong Tohma-"

"Ryuichi is missing."

Shuichi snapped to awareness at the three simple words. "What? Missing? Since when?"

Tohma's eyes narrowed. "So he doesn't know either.""Come to Ryuichi's apartment and I'll tell you everything." The blond said and hung up. Fear gripping his heart in icy cold tendrils, he proceeded to dial another number.

_"Yes, this is K spea-"_

"K. I need you at Ryuichi's apartment right now. He's been kidnapped."

"...Roger."

* * *

Ryuichi watched as Tatsuha walked into the living room in a simple T-shirt and jeans, a towel in his hand. The raven haired man smiled at the singer. "Why don't you go take a shower? I'll go make breakfast."

"Alright," Ryuichi stood up. "Where's the bathroom?"

"You can use the bathroom in my bedroom," Tatsuha informed as he strolled into the kitchen, towelling his hair dry. Black eyes stared at his idol from under damp raven locks. "I've already prepared clothes for you. You can find them on the bed. The towels are in the cupboard in the bathroom."

Ryuichi nodded, before entering Tatsuha's bedroom. The vocalist stepped into the bathroom, stripping and stepping into the shower.

The brunette turned on the showerhead, relishing in the warm water that flowed down his body. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, he began to wash his hair, hand going over brown locks of hair as the singer washed soap suds out of the silky brown locks.

Ryuichi grabbed a bar of soap and began to scrub his body, grimacing as he tried to ignore the presence of the two lumps on his chest and the lack of his once proud manhood. Blue eyes scrunched in distaste. _"I'm really a girl now huh..."_

Sighing, the singer quickly washed himself, turning off the showerhead and getting out of the shower. Opening the bathroom cupboard, the brunette grabbed two towels, wrapping one of them around his waist and using the other to wipe his body and hair dry, exiting the bathroom as he did so.

Ryuichi was interrupted when the door opened and Tatsuha put his foot in, head poking around the doorway. "Hey Ryuichi, I've finished making breakfast. You better hurry up before it gets co-" Tatsuha stopped as he caught sight of the half naked singer.

The black haired man's eyes widened and a blush broke across his cheeks. He tore his gaze away from the singer, avoiding Ryuichi's curious gaze. "I-I meant you better hurry up before your breakfast gets cold. Y-Yeah. I'll be leaving now..."

Ryuichi blinked as an embarrassed Tatsuha retreated, slamming the door as he left. _"What's up with him?"_

Deciding he would ask the black haired man about his strange behaviour later, the brunette continued wiping his body dry. When he was done, he walked over to the bed and put on the clothes Tatsuha had left out for him. The singer then made his way out of the bedroom, walking in the direction of the kitchen as he wiped his hair dry.

Tatsuha looked up from his breakfast as Ryuichi walked in. Cheeks still a little red, he mumbled. "Sorry for barging in without knocking..."

Ryuichi sat down at the table. The singer raised an eyebrow. "It's alright. Why are you so flustered?"

The raven haired male looked up from his breakfast, staring disbelievingly. "You mean you _don't know_?" At the singer's nod, he sighed, "You're a girl now, Ryuichi."

"So?"

"...Don't you think a guy would be embarrassed at seeing a girl out of the bathroom half naked?"

At this, Ryuichi blinked in understanding. The singer flushed. "Oh," he mumbled. "Sorry."

Tatsuha smiled. "It's alright Ryuichi," the singer looked up and he grinned reassuringly. "To tell you the truth, I don't really care whether you're a girl or a guy. You're still Ryuichi to me." He shrugged, "It's just that, I can't help but get embarrassed at some things, you know?"

Ryuichi gave a small nod. "Yeah."

Tatsuha smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, so don't go changing your personality or becoming shy around me just because you're female now okay?" At Ryuichi's small smile, he grinned. "Great. Now hurry up and eat before your breakfast gets cold."

* * *

  
After Tatsuha and Ryuichi had finished their bacon and eggs, the model stood up. "Alright, I guess I'll be going to work now," he turned to the brunette singer. "Would you like to come along, Ryuichi? I don't think you'd like being alone in the house with nothing to do, would you?"

The singer nodded, albeit hesitantly. Tatsuha smiled and lead Ryuichi out of the house and into his car. The black haired man tossed a cap and sunglasses to Ryuichi, who put them on, pulling the cap down in an attempt to conceal his brown hair.

"A few of my colleagues are fans of Nittle Grasper." Tatsuha told Ryuichi, as he proceeded to drive.

The Mercedes stopped in front of a tall building. The two of them got out of the car. Ryuichi stared in amazement. The building was almost as big as NG Productions. It contained hundreds of windows, and had to have at least 40 storeys.

Wow..." The singer gaped in awe.

Tatsuha smirked, "It's amazing, isn't it? That was my reaction when I first saw it too."

Ryuichi nodded a little dazedly, following Tatsuha as he entered the automatic glass doors. The model stopped in front of the counter, whispering something to the lady behind it. She gave him a bright smile before whispering something back and pointing in a certain direction. Tatsuha smiled back, thanking her. He then grabbed Ryuichi's hand and pulled the singer gently along in the direction of the lift.

The raven haired man stepped into the lift when it opened, bringing his companion along with him. Selecting the 30th floor as their destination, he pressed the button to close the lift doors. The model and the singer got out when the lift reached the 30th floor, the former leading the latter through an array of corridors until he stopped in front of a stained glass door. He pushed it open and stepped in.

The black haired man started in surprise as a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him in. He stumbled, but managed to regain his balance. "Xander, you're late!"

Tatsuha smiled apologetically at the black haired woman before him. "I'm sorry Bianca."

"Well, at least you're here now," Bianca frowned impatiently. She called out to a brown haired woman pacing around worriedly. "Miss Star! Xander has arrived!"

The brown haired woman turned. "At last!" She strolled over briskly, pointing a the door at the far end of the room. "Hurry up and go change!"

Tatsuha saluted, "Yes Madam." He then made his way over to the direction in which Miss Star pointed at.

Miss Star sighed. "Good grief." She then noticed Ryuichi, who was staring around the spacious room curiously. The woman raised an eyebrow. "Hello, who are you?"

Ryuichi started. He turned to the brown haired woman, clearing his throat a little and producing a falsetto, "I'm a friend of Xander."

Miss Star blinked. "You're a friend of Xander? Xander has never brought a friend along before..." She muttered to herself. "What's your name, girl?"

Ryuichi blinked. _"Oh right. I'm a girl now. I have to act like one."_

The brunette gave a sweet smile. "My name is Ryuko Minagawa," the singer held out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Miss Star smiled. _"She's so polite."_ She shook Ryuichi's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Ryuko. You may call me Miss Star. Judging from your name, I'm guessing you're from Japan?"

Ryuichi nodded. Miss Star smiled brightly, "Well Ryuko, you're the first Japanese I've met who is able to speak English so fluently."

Ryuichi let a blush cross his cheeks, shaking his head shyly. "Oh no I'm not that good..."

"Oh don't be so modest Ryuko," Miss Star waved away Ryuichi's protests. She then peered curiously at the other brunette. "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

Ryuichi froze for a moment. _"I can't tell her it's for disguise, she would ask me to take them off since there shouldn't be a need for them now..." _An idea came to his mind and he smirked inwardly.

"I...I have sensitive eyes," Ryuichi bit his lip, looking away with a little frown. Emotion dripped from his voice. "M-My eyes are really sensitive to light of any kind."

Miss Star gazed at him with sympathetic eyes. "Oh," she then smiled. "Oh but you're very pretty Ryuko, even with the sunglasses on. You're pretty enough to be a model! It's too bad you have such sensitive eyes..."

Ryuichi smiled reassuringly, "It's alright, Miss Star. I'm used to it."

Miss Star smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that," she then paused. "What colour are your eyes anyway?"

Ryuichi blinked. "Um, blue?"

"Blue? That's a really pretty colour!" Miss Star sighed dreamily. "I bet you have really gorgeous blue eyes! Oh how I wish I could see them!"

"Why don't you switch off the lights?" Bianca suggested, tapping her foot impatiently. Her eyes regarded Ryuichi with suspicion. _"I feel like I've seen her before..."_

Ryuichi resisted the urge to flinch at Bianca's inquisitive stare. _"She must be one of Tatsuha's colleagues who's a fan of Nittle Grasper. Damn, maybe I should have worn a wig and contacts instead..."_

Miss Star beamed. "Oh that's a great idea, Bianca!" She was about to move to the panel of switches when the sound of a door opening interrupted her.

Tatsuha stepped out of the changing room. He was dressed as a cowboy. He wore long brown pants that reached his ankles, a black and brown shirt with a yellow ribbon at the collar, and a pair of black boots on his feet. A brown cowboy hat rested on his raven locks and he held a lasso in his hand.

The model turned to his photographer. "I'm ready, Miss Star."

"Finally!" The woman huffed. "You take forever to change!"

The brunette then turned to Ryuichi with a smile. "I apologize for the interruption, Ryuko. I'll see your eyes some other time, okay?"

The singer nodded, and Miss Star gave him a smile before hurrying over to do her job.

Ryuichi watched as Miss Star took pictures of the model as he posed in various poses; feet slightly apart as he bent forward, biting the lasso in his hand with a feral grin, his black eyes narrowed in a sexy stare as he skilfully twirled the lasso above his head. _"He really does look as if he's in his element..."_

"He's really handsome, isn't he?"

Ryuichi blinked. The singer tore his gaze from Tatsuha. "Huh?"

Bianca raised an eyebrow at Ryuichi's unintelligent response. "I'm talking about Xander. Don't you think he's hot, Ryuko?"

_"Hot? I've never really thought about Tatsuha as hot..."_ Ryuichi mused. Out loud, he said, "I guess."

The black haired woman narrowed her eyes. "What's your relationship with Xander?"

_"Why does it feel like she doesn't like me?"_ Ryuichi's brows furrowed. "We're friends."

Bianca nodded her head in satisfaction. "Good," A smirk was on her lips. "Because he's mine."

Ryuichi blinked. "...I see."

* * *

K stepped into Ryuichi's apartment. Tohma and Noriko were in the living room, the former pacing around worriedly and the latter with her head buried in her hands, letting out little sobs.

Tohma's head snapped up at K's presence. "K!"

The blond American faced his superior with narrowed eyes, "How did you know Ryuichi was kidnapped?"

"Well, you see-" Tohma began, but was interrupted as a pink blur came racing into the apartment.

"What happened to Ryuichi, Tohma?!" Shuichi demanded, violet eyes full of worry.

Eiri walked in slowly after his husband. He turned golden eyes to Tohma. "Yeah, tell the brat already. Or he's going to have a seizure with his worry for the idiot."

Shuichi pouted. "Eiri! You're so meeeann!"

Eiri smirked, "Whatever, brat." He then turned to Tohma with a seemingly neutral expression, but Tohma could see the slight hint of worry in his eyes. "So?"

Tohma sighed, before explaining the situation to them. When he was done he was met with silence.

Finally, K spoke. "So you think Ryuichi was kidnapped?"

Tohma nodded. "There seems to be no other explanation."

Shuichi frowned. "Maybe he went out to buy ice cream?"

"If that were the case, he would have been back by now," Tohma pointed to the pink bunny held in a tearful Noriko's arms. "And he would have taken Kumagoro with him."

K nodded. "True. There is indeed a high possibility that Ryuichi was kidnapped. But, by who? Who would want to kidnap Ryuichi?" He frowned. "Damn. I should have put a tracking device in his phone as well."

Tohma let out a sigh. "That's what we're trying to find out." He mumbled. "Can you think of anyone, K?"

K pondered. _"Let's see. Since Ryuichi left Kumagoro behind, he must have been kidnapped in his home. Ryuichi has very sharp ears; he would have heard the kidnapper move. Contrary to popular belief, Ryuichi is not dumb. He would have retrieved the knife I placed under his pillow...wouldn't he?"_

With that thought, the blond dashed off to Ryuichi's bedroom. He heaved himself up onto the singer's bed, lifting his pillow.

As he had suspected, the weapon was gone. Electric blue eyes narrowed. _"So he did take the knife. Yet he was taken away, despite the fact it's very hard to catch Ryuichi off guard. I trained him myself, after all. The kidnapper must have either been very skilled to be able to sneak up behind Ryuichi without him noticing. Or maybe he knocked him out or stunned him somehow..."_

K's eyes widened. _"Stunned! That's it!"_

The American took out his phone and searched through his contact list, dialling a number he had not dialled for a very long time.

Tohma, who had arrived in the bedroom with Noriko, Shuichi and Eiri when K had suddenly run off, eyed K curiously. "K, what-"

K held up a hand to silence him. For once in his life, Tohma listened, keeping his mouth shut.

"There's only one person I know who uses Numbing Poison." K muttered, as he waited for the person to answer his call. "He used to throw darts of it at his victims all the time, without them noticing until it was too late. Though I have no idea why he would want to kidnap Ryuichi..."

_"This is Jeffrey speaking. I'm busy right now so leave a message or call back later, yeah? Oh and if this is the Boss could you come over sometime to pick up your sweetheart's weapon? It's Numbing Metal. Quite a find If I may say so myself. Of-"_

K gritted his teeth when he reached Jeffrey's voice mail. He was about to hang up when he heard the words. 'Numbing Metal'. Eyes widening, the man quickly cut the call before dialling the number again, listening carefully to the message this time.

_"This is Jeffrey speaking. I'm busy right now so leave a message or call back later, yeah? Oh and if this is the Boss could you come over sometime to pick up your sweetheart's weapon? It's Numbing Metal. Quite a find If I may say so myself. Of course since it belongs to your sweetheart I would never-"_

The tall American ended the call, having gotten sufficient information. _"Sweetheart's weapon...Numbing Metal...belongs to your sweetheart..."_ He processed the information in his mind. _"There's only one person I gave a weapon made out of Numbing Metal to; Ryuichi."_

The blond moved his eyes over to the upturned pillow. _"And it's obviously gone."_ He smirked. _"Yeah it's him alright."_

"K?"

K turned to look at the four people gathered before him. He moved his gaze to the source of the voice, Tohma, who was frowning at him impatiently, anxiety creasing lines across his face.

"So? Have you found out who kidnapped Ryuichi?"

The blond nodded. Serious blue met expectant green.

"Prepare your private jet Tohma. We're flying off to America."


	6. Chapter 5: Confrontation

_Author's Note_

_Hello again **blueberry**_, _my loyal reviewer. And the only one, it seems. Once again, thank you for reviewing, I really appreciate it. I'm glad you thought the fluffy parts were sweet, because I did too, and it is nice to see someone finally sharing my opinion. Haha, yes he is, and so is the crazy K. As for Bianca, I created her on a whim actually, like I felt she had to be in this story, like I had to have someone play the jealous role. I don't think she'll have a big purpose though. And yes, she does like Tatsuha. But Tatsuha doesn't like her back. Poor girl._

_Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Though it is a little dramatic. Haha. But then again, one of the genres for this story is Drama, so I suppose it's alright._

_On a side note, once I post the chapter after this I'm afraid I'll have to raise the rating to M. I apologize if it disturbs you, but I'm afraid it is necessary for the plot. I will put a warning before the scene, so I hope you won't stop reading and reviewing my story because of the raised rating because to tell the truth, I would be very disappointed. I would probably stop updating or delete this story, since you are my only reviewer and possibly my only reader. Sigh, is my story really that unappealing? I've seen stories with 1000+ words with above 5 reviews. But, I'm not forcing you to read or anything; please don't think that._

**Warnings: Gender bender, slight AU, possibility of characters being out of character, use of vulgarites.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or its characters, they belong to Maki Murakami. Though I do own Jeffrey, Bianca, Kate, Lionel Dream, Miss Star and Dean.**

**Notes for this chapter: Not much really, just that characters may seem out of character. But then again, it's been five years. People change. Oh and the fighting scene may seem a little lame.**

* * *

"Alright, we're done for the day!" Miss Star announced, smiling brightly. "Your shift is over, Xander. You may go. Oh and make sure not to be late again next time!"

Tatsuha walked into the changing room to discard the fur coat from around his shoulders and change into the clothes he had arrived in. When he was done, the model took hold of Ryuichi's hand and made to leave the room, when a hand latched onto his wrist.

The black haired man did not even bother to turn around. "Yes, Bianca?"

Bianca smiled, but her happy expression faltered when her crush refused to look at her. She frowned, "Xander, look at me!"

Tatsuha turned around reluctantly to face the pouting girl. "I'm looking at you, Bianca." He paused. "Now what do you want?"

Bianca beamed, "Have lunch with me today, Xander?" She gave him a pleading look. "You promised, remember?"

Tatsuha gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Bianca, but I promised Ryuko I would go shopping with her today."

Bianca glared at Ryuichi, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. _"That bitch, stealing my Xander away from me!"_

The black haired beauty gave her fellow model a bright smile. "Oh, well that's alright. We can have lunch together and I can accompany Ryuko shopping; I have great fashion sense!"

Tatsuha shook his head almost exasperatedly. "Ryuko has her own style of clothes Bianca, she doesn't really like other people to choose for her what to wear."

Bianca snapped. "What, is that bitch your girlfriend or something? Why do you have to go shopping with her? Why the hell are you even speaking up for her?! She's not mute is-"

She was cut off as Tatsuha slammed her roughly against the wall, his hand closed painfully around her neck, constricting her airway.

Bianca gasped for air. "X-Xander I c-can't b-breath-"

"Shut up." Bianca watched, her vision swimming, as two narrowed and enraged black eyes met her frightened brown ones. "You bitch."

Bianca's eyes widened at Xander's words. Tears filled her eyes. "X-Xan-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" The raven haired man bellowed, tightening his grip on Bianca's neck. The black haired woman choked. Tatsuha brought his face close to the terrified girl's threateningly.

"Listen, and listen _well_," he growled menacingly. "If I _ever _hear you insult my _idol _again, I am going to _kill_ you." Black eyes regarded her with pure, unadulterated anger. "_Do you understand?"_

Bianca nodded fearfully. The hand left her neck. She collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. Brown eyes full of hurt watched as Tatsuha eyed her with disgust, before he took a stunned Ryuichi's hand and led him out of the room.

The black haired model could only stare mournfully after her crush as he walked out of her life. She sobbed, as her tears trickled down pallid cheeks.

"You shouldn't have pushed him that far."

Bianca turned around hesitantly at the sound of the familiar voice. "M-Miss S-Star?"

Miss Star walked over to the teary eyed model, a sad smile on her face.

"I've worked with a lot of different kinds of people, Bianca, and I can easily judge a person's character." She kneeled down next to the black haired beauty.

"Xander is the type of person who's handsome, suave and charming all in one; the perfect guy. But there's always something in his eyes which suggests he's much more than just that, and not in a good way."

The photographer placed a gentle hand on Bianca's arm, "Unfortunately, you triggered that something in him Bianca, when you insulted Ryuichi Sakuma. As you can see, the result was not pretty."

Bianca stared at the ground in sorrow. "I see." Miss Star's words then caught up in her mind, and she snapped her head up. "Wait. _Ryuichi Sakuma? _As in, the singer from Nittle Grasper?"

Miss Star smiled. "Yes, Bianca. I don't know what he's doing in a female disguise but Ryuko is Ryuichi. I've worked with him for a short while before, when he was pursuing a career in acting in America, though I don't think he recognized me. Only Ryuichi can speak English that well, and only he can produce such sadness in his voice."

She laughed, "Of course, him saying he had blue eyes helped as well. I can't think of anyone else with brown hair and blue eyes."

The photographer raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought you would have recognised him Bianca, since you're a rather big fan of his."

Bianca blinked. "_So that's why Ryuko looked so familiar..." _Her eyes widened. "_Does that mean I just called my idol a bitch _and _mute? Oh god..."_

Miss Star watched as the black haired woman looked at her with brown eyes full of worry. "Do...Do you think he'll forgive me?"

Miss Star smiled, "Are you talking about Ryuichi or Xander?"

"Both of them, I guess." Bianca mumbled.

"Well, I know Ryuichi will definitely forgive you. He has a kind heart." Miss Star frowned thoughtfully. "Xander, on the other hand...he may pretend this incident never happened, or he may become hostile towards you; I'm not so sure."

Bianca just nodded. Miss Star gently pulled her up from the floor. "Go home and rest Bianca. You must be exhausted." She gave the model a kind smile. "My other models will be arriving soon anyway, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

Bianca nodded, giving a little smile. "T-Thank you for the wakeup call, Miss Star."

The photographer smiled back. "It's no problem at all, Bianca."

* * *

Ryuichi had been silent the whole journey, from out of Tatsuha's work place, into his car and to his house. They were inside the black haired man's house now, and the vocalist still had not spoken a word.

Tatsuha was starting to worry. He wondered if the singer was alright. "Ryuichi are you-"

"Why did you do that?"

Tatsuha frowned at the vocalist's words. "Do what, Ryuichi?"

To his surprise, the singer looked up at him from under brown bangs, blue eyes narrowed angrily. "You know, _threaten_ your colleague."

Tatsuha blinked. "You mean Bianca? Well, she insulted you-"

"That doesn't mean you had to _threaten _to _kill_ her!"

Tatsuha was taken aback by Ryuichi's outburst. He stared incredulously at his idol. "I did it for _you, _Ryuichi."

Ryuichi sneered. "Oh, really? So the boss of the mighty _Hellfire_ would _kill _his own _colleague_ for my sake?" He gave a dry laugh. "Wow, I'm _flattered."_

Tatsuha's eyes narrowed at Ryuichi's sarcastic tone. Hurt and anger laced his voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Ryuichi glared icy daggers at Tatsuha. "What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not the one who just threatened an innocent _life!"_

"I wasn't being seri-"

Ryuichi narrowed his blue eyes. "Don't you dare say you weren't being serious. You were being _dead serious._" The singer smirked. "You can tell a lot from a person's eyes, you know? And yours had _killing intent."_

"What do you know about killing intent?" Tatsuha muttered.

Ryuichi glowered. "You're right, I don't. But the emotion in your eyes was so obvious that even someone who isn't involved in whatever shady business you do could clearly see that you _wanted _nothing more than to _kill_ the girl."

"I was an actor for 3 years in America; I've been in several movies. I've acted along people who played the role of a murderer and serial killer. But this is the first time I've seen killing intent in a person's eyes; _real_ killing intent."

Tatsuha could only stare at Ryuichi, speechless. Silence filled the air for a moment as black met blue, before the model shook his head, whispering. "I don't understand you, Ryuichi..."

To his surprise, Ryuichi gave a sad smile. "You know what, Tatsuha? I don't understand you either. I thought I did, but I guess I don't."

"I was just starting to trust you, you know? The little things you did and said, the genuine happiness and passion you displayed in your job as a model, the seemingly infinite patience you showed with me; they all reminded me so much of the Tatsuha I knew."

"But then you just had to turn around and betray my trust," Ryuichi glared at the silent Tatsuha, the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. "I don't know who you are. Have you really changed that much, Tatsuha? Or are you really an imposter?"

"I...I just don't know."

The broken whisper drifted through the air, and Tatsuha felt like a thousand needles had been pierced into his heart at the heartbreakingly painful look on Ryuichi's face.

Tatsuha gazed at his idol with soulful black eyes, his heart aching in agony. "Ryuichi."

Ryuichi shook his head, tears flinging out of blue eyes. "M-Maybe I'm just thinking too much and you really are an imposter," he nodded. "Because I know the Tatsuha I knew would never have even _thought_ about changing my gender against my will."

"It would hurt much less too." Ryuichi whispered to himself as he walked to Tatsuha's bedroom. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight to you, imposter."

Tatsuha watched as Ryuichi made his way over to his bedroom, footsteps echoing quietly in the silence of the room. The door closed softly behind the brown haired singer, leaving the raven haired model to stare blankly at the wooden object.

* * *

Tohma stepped out of the plane, stumbling and almost falling down onto the floor. When they had gotten to his private jet, K had pushed the pilot out of the way, ignoring the man's yelp of surprise as he fell to the ground. The crazy American had then made his way to the control panels and yelled for his companions to hurry up and get in. When everyone was safely seated inside the huge vehicle, and the entrance was closed, the man had then took off without warning, causing the occupants inside to start in surprise and almost slide from their seats onto the floor of the aircraft.

The blond American drove the plane like he drove his car, though he seemed to be more careful with it. Nevertheless, Tohma could not remember ever feeling so dizzy in his life. He swore that once they retrieved Ryuichi and got him back to Japan, he would never, ever, ride any vehicle driven by K again, be it plane, car, truck or ship.

It took a few minutes for Tohma's vision to stop spinning, and to regain his impeccable balance. Once he did, he turned to K, who looked deep in thought.

"You still haven't informed us on who kidnapped Ryuichi."

K looked up with slight surprise at Tohma's voice. "Oh. Well, it's Jeffrey."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Jeffrey?"

K nodded, "He's an acquaintance of mine from a while back."

Tohma's eyebrows furrowed. "I see. And why do you think this Jeffrey was the one who kidnapped Ryuichi?"

"Jeffrey's the one person I know who uses Numbing Poison," K said simply, as he walked out of the airport. "And his voicemail told me that he has a weapon made out of Numbing Metal with him, and Ryuichi is the only person I gave that to."

Tohma blinked at the unfamiliar terms. "_Numbing Poison? A weapon made out of Numbing Metal? Just what are we dealing with here?"_

"So, where is this Jeffrey person?" Shuichi, who had been miraculously silent all this while, spoke up.

K blinked at the serious expression on the usually happy go lucky singer's face, before replying. "Well, he should be at his old house, if he hasn't moved yet. Unless he is at work, that is."

The blond nodded to his companions, proceeding towards the exit. "Let's go. We're taking a cab there."

* * *

The group soon arrived at Jeffrey's house. They got out and Tohma paid the driver, before he, Noriko, Shuichi and Eiri ran to catch up with K, who was already walking towards the door.

"So, what do we do now?" Shuichi asked curiously.

"Simple. We break down the door." K grinned maniacally, pulling out a bazooka from out of nowhere.

Tohma, Noriko and Shuichi stared at the crazy American, one with exasperation, the other with disbelief and the last one with shock. Eiri just looked bored.

The pink haired singer panicked at the sight of the dangerous weapon, waving his arms about like a headless chicken. "That's crazy, K! What if Ryuichi is in there? You could _kill _him!"

Eiri nodded. "The brat has a point."

K thought for a moment, before shaking his head as he remembered Jeffrey's words. "Ryuichi is not in there. He's with Jeffrey's Boss." He aimed the bazooka at the innocent door. "Now stand back."

The resounding explosion could be heard from miles away.

* * *

Jeffrey was woken up from his nap by a deafening noise. He jolted awake, almost falling off the couch in his surprise. "What the hell is that?"

The red haired man turned to the source of the noise, eyes widening as he caught sight of the charred remains of his door.

"Holy. Fuck." Jeffrey breathed in dsibelief.

"Long time no see, J!" Jeffrey watched with wide eyes as a tall figure stepped out of the smoke produced from the explosion, grinning brightly.

"K!?"

K smirked. "The one and only."

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here K? We haven't seen each other for, let's see," the red haired man paused for a moment. "Fifteen years!"

K mock scowled. "What, is my rival and best friend not happy to see me?"

Jeffrey smirked. "Unfortunately for you, I have a new best friend now."

K pouted. "Meanie." His companions stared at him incredulously, wondering if he had been spending too much time around Ryuichi.

Jeffrey rolled his eyes at K's immature behaviour. "Really K, what do you want? I know you didn't come here to revive the bonds of our _friendship_."

The American grinned, before turning serious, "I came here to retrieve Ryuichi. You kidnapped him, didn't you?"

Jeffrey raised his eyebrows. "Ryuichi? You mean the singer Ryuichi Sakuma from Japan? What makes you think I kidnapped him?"

K smirked. "Your voicemail."

At Jeffrey's look of confusion, he pulled out his phone and dialled Jeffrey's number, putting his phone on loudspeaker.

"_This is __Jeffrey speaking. I'm busy right now so leave a message or call back later, yeah? Oh and if this is the Boss could you come over sometime to pick up your sweetheart's weapon? It's Numbing Metal. Quite a find If I may say so myself. Of course since it belongs to your sweetheart I would never dare take it for myself. So come over and pick it up from me sometime, yeah?"_

K smirked at the speechless Jeffrey. "Ryuichi is the only person I gave a weapon made out of Numbing Metal to."

Jeffrey resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands. "Well fuck. No wonder Shade tells me I talk too much."

K raised an eyebrow. "Shade?"

"My new best friend. The red haired man replied simply. He then gave a smirk, "So, now that you know I kidnapped your precious Sakuma, what are you going to do?"

K narrowed his eyes. "Well, I was hoping you would tell me where he is, unless you want to have a showdown with your rival and former best friend."

Jeffrey shrugged. "No can do, K. I'm not going to betray the Boss."

K frowned. "The Boss?"

Jeffrey nodded. "Yeah. Didn't you hear the message? It seems that Sakuma is the Boss's sweetheart."

K raised an eyebrow. "Since when was he gay?"

"Oh I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about our new Boss."

"New Boss?"

"Yeah," Jeffrey replied. "The Boss that you remember passed away. Some bastard poisoned his tea," he scowled angrily at the memory. "We have a new Boss now."

"Oh." K blinked. He then frowned, "So let's get this straight; so this new Boss of yours is gay, in love with Ryuichi and asked you to kidnap him because he wanted him all to himself?"

Jeffrey nodded. "That's correct."

"Sounds like someone I know." Eiri muttered from the doorway.

Shuichi turned to him curiously. "What? What are they saying, Eiri?"

Eiri stared at Shuichi blankly, before remembering that the pink haired singer had failed his English classes in school several years ago. "Nothing; just that Ryuichi was kidnapped by a gay Boss who wanted him all to himself."

Shuichi blinked at the lack of sarcasm in his husband's tone. "...You're not joking, are you?"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be, brat?"

"It's just hard to believe," Shuichi said as he frowned. "It sounds like something Tatsuha would have done."

Violet eyes widened as their owner realized his mistake. "I'm sorry Eiri-"

"Yeah," Shuichi turned to Eiri in surprise. "I was thinking of that too."

Shuichi furrowed his brows. "Do you think-"

Eiri cut him off. "Tatsuha, a Boss?" He smirked, "Don't make me laugh. That egoist is probably working as a model or something. Not that I care about what he's doing."

"Eiri..."

"Quiet, Shuichi. The show's starting."

"I see." K pondered the information for a moment before turning to Jeffrey with serious blue eyes. "Well, Ryuichi lover or not, you're going to have to tell me where this new Boss of yours is. I am not leaving Ryuichi in the hands of some love struck stranger."

Jeffrey shook his head, staring back with equally serious golden eyes. "I'm sorry K, but like I said, I won't betray the Boss's trust. You should know how important loyalty in _Hellfire _is, since _you _were part of the organization a long time ago as well."

K narrowed his eyes. "Then you leave me with no choice."

Whipping out a gun, the blond shot at his rival, at the same time dodging the dart Jeffrey sent his way.

Jeffrey smirked as he dodged the bullet aimed at him. "Not bad, K."

K smirked back. "You too, J."

The two men bean to go at each other, shooting bullets and throwing darts endlessly. At one point Jeffrey whipped out a gun and began to shoot at K as well, while K countered by flinging knives at his opponent.

Tohma was shaken out of his shocked state at the battle before him when one of Jeffrey's darts narrowly missed him by a few inches. "K! What do you think you are doing?! We have to find Ryuichi!"

"I know!" K yelled back as he dodged a bullet from Jeffrey, before kicking back against the wall and dashing forward, flinging a knife and shooting his gun at his opponent at the same time. "That's why I'm trying to injure this stubborn bastard enough to tell me where Ryuichi is!"

Jeffrey dodged the knife, but grimaced as the bullet got him in the shoulder. Growling, he fired a few rounds at his rival, smirking in satisfaction as two bullets hit K in the leg.

Tohma sighed as K scowled and began to increase the intensity of his attacks on his opponent. The blond turned to Noriko worriedly. "What should we do, Noriko?"

The purple haired woman frowned. "I don't know, Tohma. Maybe we should let K battle it out, like he said?"

"But Ryuichi could be in danger right now and we-"

"Ugh!" The blond was interrupted by a yelp of pain. Startled, the two keyboardists turned their gaze to the right, and found Eiri standing in front of Shuichi, clutching his hand. A knife's blade was embedded in his now bloody palm. One of K's knives that Jeffrey had dodged had been headed towards Shuichi, and in his panic the blond novelist had jumped in front of his pink haired husband, flinging out a hand to stop the knife in its path.

Shuichi's eyes widened at the blood spilling from Eiri's palm. "Eiri you're bleeding! We should get you to a hospital-"

"I'm fine," the blond interrupted his pink haired lover. He used his free hand to draw the knife out of his palm, wincing as he did so. Luckily, it had not gotten in very deep. "Are you alright?"

Shuichi nodded, tears in his eyes. Eiri smiled. "Good."

Shuichi smiled happily at the relieved expression on his love's face. "Thank you, Eiri."

Eiri nodded in return, surprised but relieved that Shuichi had not begun gushing about how much Eiri must really love him to have saved him in such a heroic manner. He smiled. _"He really has matured over the last few years."_

"It's no problem." Eiri told his pink haired love before turning to his brother in law, who had been watching the couple's display of affection with gladness in his eyes. _"Looks like he's discovered he's made the correct decision by accepting Shuichi. He does call him by his name now after all, and even allows him the same privilege."_

Tohma smiled. "That was very brave of you, Eiri."

"And it was so sweet of you too!" Noriko sighed dreamily, "You and Shuichi are so cute together!"

Eiri raised an eyebrow at the purple haired woman. _"I never knew she was a fan girl."_

"You asked Ukai-san what we should do just now," Eiri stated as he walked over to Tohma. He plucked out the dart, that had barely missed Tohma, from the wall. The blond then turned around to face the two fighting men.

"Simple," with a knife in one hand and dart in the other, he flung the weapons at the distracted Jeffrey. "We join the battle."

At that statement, his companions' eyes widened in realization, before they began plucking darts and knives from the wall, taking careful aim before throwing them with force at the red haired man.

Jeffrey had just dodged another of K's bullets when his senses pricked at the presence of an outside interference. He turned, and his golden eyes widened at the darts and knives heading towards him at a fast pace.

The red haired man tried to evade both K's and his companions' attacks but even he could not win when it was five people against one, especially when the other four people had practically ambushed him. He almost succeeded until Tohma pulled out a gun in his frustration and fired at him. Jeffrey cried out in pain as one of the bullets reached its target in his knee, at the same time one of Shuichi's darts plunged into his neck.

"Damn," Jeffrey muttered and moved to remove the dart from his neck, but could not as his limbs had been frozen. Golden eyes widened at the realization that the dart that had hit him must have been filled with Numbing Poison, unnaturally strong and a special version of Numbing Poison; the same kind which he had used on Ryuichi. _"I must have pulled it out by mistake, though it seems to be one of my less strong versions, since I can still speak and move my eyes."_

The kidnapper looked up as K strode towards him, smirking, "Looks like I win, J."

Jeffrey glared. "You cheated, K. You enlisted assistance from your companions."

K merely raised an eyebrow. "I didn't. They moved of their own accord."

Narrowing his eyes, the blond pointed his gun to Jeffrey's head. "Now, tell me where Ryuichi is."

It was Jeffrey's turn to smirk. "Too bad for you K, I couldn't even if I wanted to; I'm going to fall asleep soon."

"What?!"

"I've been hit by the same type of Numbing Poison I used to kidnap Sakuma, though it is a less strong version," Jeffrey explained as his eyes began to close. "It numbs the victim's entire body, before sending them into a deep sleep."

"What the hell? When are you going to awaken?!"

"Who knows? Goodnight, K."

"Wait, J! Tell me where Ryuichi is! J!"

K growled in frustration as the red haired man's body shut down and Jeffrey slumped down onto the floor. "Damn it!"

"What happened, K?" Tohma asked in concern as he walked up with the others behind him. He looked down at the sleeping man with a raised eyebrow. "Why is he asleep?"

"He was hit by one of his darts which had a strong Numbing poison which numbs the body before making the victim fall asleep." K gritted his teeth, slamming his fist against a wall. "Damn it, now he can't tell us where Ryuichi is!"

"I see. When is he going to wake up?" Tohma asked.

"I don't know." K growled, "I bet the bastard knew but didn't want to tell me."

"I see."

Silence filled the room as the group pondered on what to do now that their lead to their friend's location was lost.

Suddenly, Noriko spoke up. "Why don't you place a tracking device on him?"

K blinked, turning to the purple haired woman. "What?"

"A tracking device; you know, like the one you put in Kumagoro." Noriko explained.

Tohma nodded, "She's right. Judging from your earlier conversation with Jeffrey just now, Ryuichi is probably with his Boss. Once Jeffrey wakes up, the first thing he would do is to go to warn his Boss that we are here searching for Ryuichi. All we have to do then is to follow him and he'll lead us to Ryuichi."

K blinked a few times, processing Tohma's words in his mind. Then he grinned brightly. "You're right! You're a genius, Noriko!"

Noriko winked. "Aren't I?"

K smiled at the woman before pulling out a tiny device. "Now, where should I put it..."

"Maybe you could put it in one of his guns?" Shuichi suggested. "It's small enough, right? And he wouldn't leave one of his guns behind."

K stared at the pink haired singer a little disbelievingly, before he smiled. "Looks like you're not the only genius here, Noriko."

Noriko pouted, "Awww." She gave Shuichi a mock glare. "How could you steal my title, Shuichi?"

Shuichi grinned. "Sorry Noriko."

Noriko scowled playfully. "Meanie."

Shuichi merely smirked, and the purple haired woman blinked in surprise, wondering if Eiri's cold behaviour had finally gotten him as well.

K pulled out one of Jeffrey's guns from the man's jacket. He then opened the firing chamber and inserted the tiny device in, before closing it carefully and returning the firearm back to its owner.

The American then stepped back and proceeded to leave the house before a thought came to his mind. Moving back to the fallen man, he rummaged in the pockets of the man's jeans before pulling out his phone and pocketing it.

He smirked at his curious companions. "Just in case he gets lazy and tries to call his Boss."

Noriko, Shuichi, Tohma and Eiri all nodded in understanding, before the shorter blond spoke."So, what do we do now?"

"We wait," K said simply as he strode towards the door. "I will be alerted when he moves one step from his current position. In the meantime, we should find a place to stay at."

Tohma nodded, pulling out his phone. "I will call a hotel."

"And I'll call Hiro!" Shuichi nodded his head vigorously, fishing his phone out from his pocket. "I still haven't told him what happened...he must be worried sick!"

"This is a waste of my time," Eiri muttered as Shuichi spoke to Hiro, explaining the situation to him. "I could be staying at home writing my novels."

Noriko smiled at him. "Don't be so mean, Yuki-san! You care about Ryu-chan too, don't you?"

Eiri narrowed his eyes. "Why would I care about that idiot?"

"Eiri! Ryuichi's not an idiot!" Shuichi, who had finished his conversation with Hiro, cried, "He's a genius!"

"Yeah right, and I'm a singer."

Shuichi pouted."Eiiriii you're soooo meeeann-" He stopped as he caught sight of the blood still staining Eiri's hand. The pink haired singer turned serious. "Eiri, I'm bandaging your hand once we reach our room."

Eiri turned to stare in surprise at his husband. He had almost forgotten about the injury. Seeing Shuichi's serious expression, he nodded. Shuichi smiled brightly. "Thank you Eiri!"

The vocalist then proceeded to glomp his blond lover. Eiri growled, trying to shove Shuichi off. "Get off me, Brat!"

"Eiri you're so warm..."

"I said get off me!"

"He really loves you huh, Yuki-san?"

K blinked. Shuichi was hugging Eiri with a happy smile, while the blond novelist was twitching in irritation and trying to push the pink haired singer off, though anyone could tell he was doing it half heartedly. Noriko stood at the sidelines, a wide, amused grin on her pretty face. The blond American could not help but smile at the heartwarming sight.

_"Soon Ryuichi, soon you will be back among the people who love you."_


	7. Chapter 6: Tatsuha Snaps

_Author's Note_

_**To bueberry :** I am happy to hear that you think my story is appealing, and that you don't mind the raised rating. I really enjoy writing it too. You love to watch dramas, huh? Well this story is kind of like one, so I hope it'll continue to satisfy you in the future. And__, yeah, K and Jeffrey are both strong; it will never be an easy fight between them, even though it wasn't really serious. Yeah poor Tatsuha; he was only trying to defend Ryuichi. Unfortunately, he went overboard. _

_You like Jeffrey for his loyalty? Haha I like him for that too, but I like and also find amusing how he tends to mess up without even meaning to; his mission and voicemail. It's very amusing, to me at least. As for if Tohma misses Tatsuha, I haven't really thought about it really, but I guess he does, more like a missing relative though. He's more caught up in his frustration and anger that Tatsuha just suddenly disappeared and worried his precious Eiri and Mika, and their father. So he doesn't really have the heart to miss him like Eiri and Mika and their father do. But hopefully he will realize so in the future._

_I'm glad you think the chapter was great. Oh and Happy Belated Birthday~! I shall post two chapters today as a late birthday present! Haha, the end of this chapter is kind of a cliffhanger anyway._

_**To sweetsally : **Thank you very much for reviewing. I am happy that you loved my story enough to review, and are even willing to review for future chapters. Rest assured, I shall try my best not to disappoint you~oh and I hope you will enjoy the double update too!_

**Warnings: Gender bender, slight AU, possibility of characters being out of character, use of vulgarities, unconsensual sex in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form, own Gravitation. It and its characters belong to Maki Murakami. Although, I do own Jeffrey, Bianca, Lionel Dream, Mirai, Dean, Kate and Miss Star.**

**Notes for this chapter: Mild rape scene; believe me, I did not want to, but unfortunately, it is necessary for the plot. If you are uncomfortable with it, it is okay; I have put a warning in underlined bold italics before the scene. Oh and you should listen to **_Heartless_ **by Kris Allen while reading this chapter. I think it fits well with the earlier part of it.**

* * *

Tatsuha sat on the sofa in the living room, staring at the floor with unseeing eyes. Ever since Ryuichi had re-entered his life, his life had been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. First he had experienced regret at giving Jeffrey a mission when he was drunk, then hurt as Ryuichi stared at him with accusing eyes, gladness when the singer had shown signs of beginning to trust him and happiness when he got to see Ryuichi's sleeping face and share a sweet moment with his love.

Just when he had thought that things were getting better a certain annoying black haired woman had just had to say something to wear out his patience. He had been so angry when Bianca had called Ryuichi a bitch and mute that he had just snapped. Now Ryuichi was once again angry at him, and probably hurt as well. And Tatsuha did not even know _why._

The raven haired model sighed, burying his head in his hands. _"Just what did I do wrong?"_

"_Have you really changed that much, Tatsuha? Or are you really an imposter?"_

Ryuichi's words rang in his mind. Tatsuha frowned, muttering to himself. "What did Ryuichi mean? I haven't changed at all. Well, except for being the Boss of an underground organization and a model. But other than that, I'm still the same old Tatsuha, aren't I? I haven't turned into a bloodthirsty killer just because of my new position or anything like that."

The black haired man pondered over the situation, before giving up when he could not find an answer, "Forget it, maybe Ryuichi's just overreacting. He's a girl now after all. He's bound to get emotional. Hormones and all that," Tatsuha got up from the couch, walking towards the door, hands clutching tightly onto raven locks. "Fuck, I need a drink."

Not even bothering to retrieve his coat from the hangar near the door, Tatsuha made his way to his car, gearing up the engine and setting off to one of his favourite thinking spots; _Angel's Death._

* * *

The raven haired man arrived outside the flashing club in a short while, pulling on a pair of sunglasses just in case any reporters were around. He did not want any news articles questioning his status to have been able to enter such a...reserved area.

Tatsuha got out of his car, locking it and making his way over to the entrance of the place. With a brief exchange of words to the bouncer, he entered the club to brightly flashing lights and loud, cheery music.

Ignoring the stares and whispers at his presence, the model strode purposefully over to the bar, where the bartender was eying him apprehensively. "I would like a bottle of _Burning Devil, _please."

Tatsuha sat down on a barstool, as the man went about getting his order. He moved his dark gaze to the happily dancing couples and the beautiful girls batting their eyelashes prettily, leaning over to expose their ample cleavage as they made attempts to seduce the handsome men. _"Come to think of it, it's been quite some time since I've danced with someone or had a good lay."_

"_But then again, I have Ryuichi now," _Tatsuha heaved a sigh, _"Or at least I think I have Ryuichi. I'm willing to give up my flirtatious nature for him, but does he even want me?" _He bit his lip. "_I still love Ryuichi so much, even though he's a woman now, it makes no difference to me. Why can't he see?"_

"Here you go, Boss." Tatsuha was jerked out of his depressing thoughts as a bottle of blue liquid dotted with red was placed in front of him. He nodded his thanks to the bartender before he began downing the liquid.

"_Ah, it's just as tasteful as I remember," _the raven haired man thought as he gulped down the strong drink, _"Bittersweet with a hint of spiciness. Delicious." _He chuckled bitterly to himself. _"Just like my screwed up life."_

Finishing the bottle, Tatsuha waved the bartender over to order three more bottles. Popping open the cap of the first bottle, he began swallowing the liquid, relishing in the burning feeling that engulfed his throat. "_I wonder what Ryuichi would taste like? I haven't kissed him yet, which is a miracle actually. I used to want nothing more than to screw his pretty little ass. I guess I've just been so caught up in_ _getting him to trust me that I haven't had time to think about sex."_

When Tatsuha had finished his third bottle, he got up from his seat. _"I better stop or else I'll crash my car while driving later."_

With his head spinning, the model stumbled shakily over to the door, amidst the disbelieving stares and murmurs of the people around him. He resisted the urge to glare at them. They were just caught up in a little misunderstanding after all. He had not had the time to explain to them the reason for his actions.

"_I guess they can't believe the great and _scary_ Boss of the powerful _Hellfire _could get wasted," _Tatsuha thought bitterly as he drove his car on the road. _"Don't they know I'm human too?"_

"_And to think, they used to adore me,"_ Tatsuha sighed. "_But ever since that incident..."_

Immersed deeply in his thoughts, Tatsuha almost did not realize he had reached his house. With a start when he almost crashed his car into the fence, the black haired male got out of his car, closing the door before shuffling wearily to the door. _"Fuck, my head's spinning..."_

He reached out a hand to turn the doorknob. Growling in frustration when he realized it was locked, Tatsuha dug his hands into his pockets, rummaging for his keys. He cursed when he could not find them. _"Of all times to have left my keys behind..."_

Sighing, the black haired man reached forward to ring the doorbell a few times, almost falling over in his drunken state as he did so. When there was no reply, he leaned forward to press the button one more time when the door suddenly opened, knocking him back and causing him to fall onto the pathway.

"Ouch, that hurt." Dazed black eyes rose to meet narrow blue ones.

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you want?"

Tatsuha blinked a few times, before the words caught up in his brain and he stared at his idol incredulously. "This is _my_ house, Ryuichi."

Tatsuha watched as the singer responded by staring at him with narrowed eyes. The brunette took notice of his red face and slightly dishevelled appearance. "You're drunk."

The raven haired model blinked for a moment, taking some time to process the words in his drunken haze. "Huh? Yeah I guess..."

Ryuichi stared at him, disgust apparent on his features before he turned and advanced towards the bedroom.

Tatsuha's eyes widened as the singer walked away from him, again. Rising with difficulty to his feet, he stumbled after the retreating brunette. "Wait, Ryuichi!"

Ryuichi ignored him. Gritting his teeth, Tatsuha ran and grabbed the vocalist's hand. "I said wait!"

At the contact, Ryuichi turned around and glared at him with eyes of blue fire. "Don't touch me."

Tatsuha flinched at the enraged blue eyes and the hostile tone. "Why are you so angry with me, Ryuichi? What did I do wrong?"

Ryuichi roughly snatched his hand away from Tatsuha's grip, glaring at the black haired man. "If you still don't know by now you're more of an idiot than I thought." He spat, moving towards the bedroom. "I'm going back to the rest I was having which you so _rudely_ interrupted."

Tatsuha felt anger boil up in him at Ryuichi's rude attitude. He stomped angrily after his idol. "Well, how am I going to know if you won't tell me!?"

"Figure it out yourself, _imposter."_

Tatsuha felt fury fill him at the word. _"How the fuck can he still think I'm an imposter?!"_

"I do so much for you Ryuichi!" He screamed at the brunette. "I take you out to an expensive restaurant to eat, I help you with your new life, I remain patient with you even when you clearly show such hatred towards me!" He seethed. "I threatened Bianca when she called you a bitch and mute. Heck, I even _tortured _a man to _death_ when he harshly insulted you to my face; which is the exact fucking reason why at least half of the members of my organization who love me as their Boss are deathly afraid of me right now! So why do you ha-"

"And I bet you enjoyed it too."

Tatsuha stopped in his rant at the single sentence. "What?"

Ryuichi whipped his head around, glaring at him with eyes like burning blue coals. "_Torturing _that man to _death. _I bet you felt morbid satisfaction when you did the act. That you didn't stop even when he fell to his knees and begged for mercy from your ruthless heart."

Speechless, Tatsuha stared at his idol for a moment, before his mouth began working again. "I didn't enjoy it! I did it for _you!_ Well of course I felt grim satisfaction when he finally died from the blood loss after I severed his vocals cords so he wouldn't be able to _insult_ _you_ again and when I stabbed my knife into his brain so he wouldn't be able to _ever_ _think_ bad things about _you_ again, but like I said countless times, I did it for _you!"_

"I do _everything _for _you_, Ryuichi!"

There was silence for a moment, the tension in the air so thick that it could be cut through with a knife. Finally Ryuichi looked up, and there was an unexplainable anger in his eyes Tatsuha had never seen before.

"So I was right_._ You really are an _imposter_.Or should I say; _sadist?"_

Tatsuha snapped.

"Fine," the raven haired man hissed, striding towards the furious Ryuichi. Enraged black eyes met equally ferocious blue ones. "I've said and done everything I can to make you trust me, to make you believe me, yet you refuse all my attempts. I'm tired of this Ryuichi. I'm so _fucking exhausted._ If you want me to be an imposter I _will. I_ _fucking will. _Like I said, _I _do _everything _for_ you."_

Doing the first thing he could think of in his drunken state, Tatsuha grabbed his idol's waist, pulling a surprised Ryuichi forward and kissing him forcefully. He thrust his tongue against lips he had wanted to kiss for years and into a mouth he had dreamed of for ages, moaning with pleasure as he explored the singer's delicious cavern.

Ryuichi's eyes widened with surprise as Tatsuha violated his mouth, before the singer snapped back to awareness and pulled away. The brunette vocalist began to struggle against the raven haired model, pushing against the man's chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get off me!"

"No." Tatsuha growled. He grabbed hold of Ryuichi's arms, holding them up above the singer's head. Inebriated obsidian stared at heated blue. "I've dreamed of this for years. There's no way I'm going to stop now."

With those words, Tatsuha caught Ryuichi's lips again, kissing him with unbridled passion and lust he had kept bottled for days as he pushed the struggling singer towards the bed. Ryuichi's legs knocked against the bed and the singer fell back onto the sheets with a gasp, which was silenced as Tatsuha followed him onto the bed, covering the vocalist's mouth with his and kissing him hungrily, pining his wrists above his head.

Due to need of oxygen, Tatsuha disconnected their lips. Leaning back, he stared at the trembling singer with a smirk on his lips.

"What's wrong, Ryuichi?" A warm breath whispers across his ear, and he shivers involuntarily. Lips curl into a smirk. "Are you afraid of an _imposter_?"

The singer glared at the accusation. "I will never fear you, bastard." He hissed at his smirking captor. A feral growl escaped his throat. He wanted nothing more in the world than to wipe that damn smirk off his face.

"Really," Tatsuha utters, almost disinterestedly. Ryuichi could hardly keep from flinching as the raven haired man releases one of his wrists, bringing the hand that had held his wrist captive to the brunette's cheek, caressing it with a lover's touch.

"You're beautiful, do you know that?" Tatsuha murmured gently. Ryuichi merely glowered in response. Tatsuha smirked.

"You know, I remember the day when I first saw you." He sighed wistfully. "It was a fucking bad day, I failed my English test, Eiri had run off to god knows where and Father told me that it was my responsibility to take over the temple since Eiri was now gone," he sighed and ran a hand through his raven locks "Naturally, I got angry and refused. I mean, I've never wanted to be a monk anyway, so I ran out and went to a club-"

"I have no interest in your past." Ryuichi spat coldly, interrupting Tatsuha mid speech. The man smirked.

He caught the fist that was headed right for his face. "Now now Ryu-chan let me finish my tale."

"It was then that I first saw you." Obsidian connected with sapphire. "Nittle Grasper was the band playing at the club that day. Like everyone else, I was drawn to your powerful voice."

"I watched as you sang passionately, your silky brown hair flying as you threw your head back, I remember freezing as your piercing blue eyes connected with mine for a second." Tatsuha smiled fondly with nostalgia. "Your beautiful voice washed over my very being, and I instantly felt better. I felt like all my frustration and anger had been drained away. It was the first time I felt truly at peace."

"I was only 14 then, but I knew I was in love." Tatsuha smiled dreamily, ignoring Ryuichi's snort of disbelief, "Unfortunately, the second time I saw you was months later, when Nittle Grasper was making it big-" He broke off as a growl sounded from beneath him. "I see you are getting impatient. Very well, I shall forgo our second meeting."

"I soon became an avid fan of Nittle Grasper, or rather, an avid fan of its lead singer. I went to all your concerts, come hell or high water. I bought all your DVDs, Nittle Grasper merchandise; key chains, towels, stationery. I was utterly and completely obsessed with you." Tatsuha recounted.

"Yet, you never noticed me." Tatsuha gazed almost sadly at Ryuichi, who returned his gaze with an icy stare. "I did all I could to get you; I molested Shuichi because he looked so much like you, I dressed up as an animal and went with you to the zoo, I played with Kumagoro, I complied to all your demands. But I could never capture your attention."

"So I decided I had to take drastic measures." Tatsuha smirked. "And I'm glad I did. Look where it got me." He leered at his idol.

The brown haired beauty was silent. Tatsuha frowned. "Ryuichi-"

"So what?" The smooth voice interjected. Tatsuha stared in surprise. "So what if I ignored you, or didn't notice you like you wanted me to? You were just another fan; I had no obligation to you. You were sometimes a friend, but nothing more."

"Just because you devoted your whole life to winning my heart, didn't mean that I had to acknowledge your advances. I am free to do what I want." Ryuichi smirked at the stunned Tatsuha. "What, did you expect me to suddenly realise my undying love for you and proclaim it to the whole world? Did you expect to marry me one day and live a happily ever after? What do you think life is? A fairytale?"

"Haven't you ever heard of unrequited love, boy?" Ryuichi sneered at the frozen man.

Tatsuha hung his head, bangs shadowing his face. "You don't understand." Ryuichi raised an eyebrow. "You still don't understand."

"What? What don't I understand? Speak up, boy." Ryuichi taunted.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW FUCKING IN LOVE WITH YOU I AM!" Tatsuha screamed, as his grip on Ryuichi's wrists tightened painfully. His victim winced. Tatsuha glared. "I've been fucking _pining_ for you for fucking _years_!"

"Bullshit," Ryuichi returned Tatsuha's glare. "You are not in love with me. You just think you are." His glare increased tenfold as anger began to build up within him. "When a person is in love with someone, they don't kidnap them and cause the people who care for them to worry, they don't bring them to another country without anyone knowing, and most of all, THEY DON'T CHANGE THEIR _FUCKING GENDER_ WITHOUT THEIR FUCKING PERMISSION!"

Tatsuha felt a pang in his heart at Ryuichi's words. He wanted to tell Ryuichi the truth; that it was Jeffrey who had changed his gender, and not him. But he knew he could not as it had been him who had given out the order. Even if he had done so while intoxicated, he highly doubted Ryuichi would believe him, with his firm belief that he was an imposter. Besides, he was too drunk and angry to care.

"You know, I think you're forgetting who's the boss here," He brought his face closer to those blazing sapphire orbs, whispering threateningly, "Like you said, I changed your _fucking gender_. Which means the great Sakuma Ryuichi is now a woman. How do you think your fans, especially your _female_ fans, would react if they knew?" He grinned evilly. "Oh and let's not forget the press."

Ryuichi glared hatefully at Tatsuha. "You wouldn't dare."

Tatsuha merely smiled in return, "Oh but I would." His smile turned into a smirk. "But I think you're unaware of the reality of the situation." He murmured as he leaned in even closer, letting his breath pass over the luscious lips. "Because I changed your _fucking gender, _you're now a _woman_. But, I'm still a _man._ One who's currently straddling you on a bed and has been lusting after you for years. What do you think is going to happen?"

Tatsuha smirked at the horrified expression on Ryuichi's perfect features. "I think you have realised the danger you're in. Too bad, it's too late." He hissed dangerously. "You should never have aggravated me. I'm going to make you _scream_, Sakuma Ryuichi_._"

**_WARNING : RAPE SCENE. PLEASE SKIP TO THE BOTTOM IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT._**

Swiftly, the black haired man captured his idol's mouth in a bruising kiss. His captive gasped in surprise, and he took the opportunity to thrust his tongue into his mouth. He moaned as he explored his idol's caverns, his tongue going over every nook and cranny, as if trying to embed the singer's unique taste into his very being.

He would have continued ravaging the beauty's mouth if he had not needed to breathe. Eventually, he withdrew. Tatsuha smirked down at the flushed, panting and glaring singer.

"S-Stop this." Ryuichi growled, glaring icily at his captor.

Tatsuha's lips curved into an amused smirk. "What, the great Sakuma Ryuichi is out of breath after a simple kiss?" He mocked, as he brought his lips to the brunette's slender neck, placing little kisses down to his chest almost lovingly. He switched his hold on Ryuichi's wrists to one hand. Rough fingers moved to unbutton the singer's shirt. "Don't worry; I'll try to make this as pleasurable for you as possible."

Ryuichi's eyes widened as Tatsuha began divesting him of his shirt. The singer struggled against the hand restraining his wrists, groaning in frustration as he failed to make Tatsuha relinquish his grip. "Let me go Tatsuha! This is rape!" "_Fuck, when did he become so strong?!"_

Tatsuha smirked. "It isn't rape if you're willing."_ "And even if you aren't, I wouldn't care."_

The raven haired model moaned as the garment parted to reveal Ryuichi's breasts. His pants were getting awfully tight. The black haired man pressed himself closer to the perfect body, his erection straining painfully against his jeans. He groaned, grinding his arousal against Ryuichi, relishing in the gasp that escaped from the singer's mouth.

"You feel that, don't you?" Lips moved against his neck. "That's how much you turn me on, how much I've always wanted you."

A tongue darted out to lick his Adam's apple. "And tonight, I'm going to make you mine."

Ryuichi gasped as the mouth on his neck moved to engulf his nipple. He whimpered as Tatsuha's tongue surrounded his nipple with suffocating warmth, his free hand plunging into his pants, snaking into his boxers. "No! I don't want this!" Calloused fingers brushed against his clit. The singer gasped. "Stop! Tatsuha!"

Tatsuha only sucked harder in response, fingers moving even faster, slipping in and out of Ryuichi's slick entrance as he tortured the singer to the brink of pleasure. Ryuichi moaned involuntarily, little gasps and whimpers escaping his desired lips as the man increased his pace and pleasure built up within him. "Oh god!"

Tatsuha growled at the sounds of pleasure from his lover. "_You're_ God, you've always been _my_ God," His teeth grazed the singer's nipple, who let out a scream. "Ryuichi."

Ryuichi screamed as the pleasure reached an unbearable amount and he came. The vocalist panted, trying to catch his breath, eyes closed in exhaustion. He vaguely felt the appendage leaving his pants and his wrists released, but was too worn out to move.

When he opened them, Tatsuha was standing before him, as naked as the day he was born. He grinned, lust swirling around in black depths, ogling him shamelessly, and the man's idol realised with a start that his lower half was completely bare.

The raven haired man was on top of him before he could even move, and his wrists were once again pinned above his head. Ryuichi struggled, thrashing about on the bed. Tatsuha growled, moving his knees to keep Ryuichi's thrashing legs in place.

"_Ryuichi."_ The brunette had never in his life heard his name uttered with such lust. Ryuichi froze as Tatsuha spread his legs, pressing his manhood against his entrance.

"Don't do this, Tatsuha." Ryuichi raised blue eyes to look pleadingly at intoxicated black ones. Tears glistened in blue orbs.

The raven haired man eyed his captive with an almost sad smile. "I can't stop now, Ryuichi." He whispered against trembling lips. "Please understand."

Ryuichi's body was shaking uncontrollably with sobs. "No...No! What do you mean by you can't stop? I don't understand!" The brunette's body thrashed as the singer tried to throw the highly aroused male off. "Get off me! This is rape Tatsuha!

"I'm sorry." Was the only warning Ryuichi got before he screamed as an indescribable pain overwhelmed his senses.

"God! Ryuichi you feel so good!" Tatsuha groaned at the feel of Ryuichi's tightness around him. He drew back and plunged back in repeatedly, as screams of agony tore themselves painfully from the singer's throat.

"It hurts! Stop! STOP!" Ryuichi sobbed. The pain was excruciating. His body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out with a knife, as Tatsuha thrust into him mercilessly. He could hardly feel the pleasure that sex was supposed to bring. The singer was crying openly now, tears running down his cheeks. "Please..."

**_RAPE SCENE ENDS_**

Tatsuha froze at the desperate plea. He withdrew from the sobbing singer, releasing the tight grip on his wrists, black eyes widening as they caught sight of the tears rolling down Ryuichi's cheeks. Hesitantly, he moved a hand to wipe them away. "Ryuichi-"

"Get out." The hand froze in its tracks. Tatsuha stared at Ryuichi, whose head was lowered. Brown locks hung limply, blocking the sight of blue eyes. "Get out."

"Ryuichi..."

"GET OUT!" Ryuichi tossed his head, brown bangs flying as enraged blue eyes met stunned black orbs. "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

The singer sobbed, bringing his knees to his chest, burying his tear-streaked face in them and wrapping shaking arms around his small frame as Tatsuha grimaced and moved off from the bed on to the floor, bending down and picking up his clothes. Footsteps were heard as the man made his way to the door.

A voice filled with regret made its way to his ears. "I'm sorry."

Ryuichi did not look up. "I hate you."

Silence filled the air for a moment before it was broken by a click as the door closed behind the black haired man. The room was silent again, leaving Ryuichi to drown in sorrow.

_"Tohma...Noriko...Shuichi...where are you? Why aren't you here with me? How did I get myself into this situation in the first place? It hurts...it hurts so much. How could he do this to me?" _The brown-haired singer sobbed, soaking the bedsheets with unrelenting tears.

An image of his only companion appeared in his mind. Blue eyes narrowed in a fiery glare. _"I hate him. I hate him! I HATE HIM!" _

Their owner collapsed onto the bed, shaking violently, whispering brokenly_, _"I hate him...I ...hate him...I...hate...him..."

Sakuma Ryuichi fell asleep crying that night._  
_


	8. Chapter 7: Realization

**Warnings: Gender bender, use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation and its characters, which belong to Maki Murakami. I only own Bianca, Jeffrey, Lionel Dream, Mirai, Amanda, Dean, Kate and Miss Star.**

**Notes for this chapter: To avoid possible spoilers, they're explained at the bottom of the page. **

* * *

Blue eyes blinked as the sunlight shone into the room. Slowly, the brown haired singer sat up in bed, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?"

Visions of the previous night assaulted his brain and Ryuichi winced. "Oh right. That's what happened." He growled. "That fucking bastard."

The sound of the door opening interrupted the brunette from his thoughts. Blue eyes narrowed in a heated glare at the sight of the figure that entered the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The brown haired beauty snarled. "Come to take advantage of me again?"

A hurt look crossed Tatsuha's features. Ryuichi ignored it. "Just wait until I have you arrested-"

"I'm taking you back." Ryuichi raised an eyebrow. Tatsuha faced his idol with remorseful eyes. "I'm taking you back to Japan."

"You're lying." Ryuichi glared, "Why would you let me go back when you've gone to such _lengths _to get me?" The brunette sneered. "You fucking liar."

Tatsuha's eyes shone with hurt. Ryuichi watched with apprehension as he climbed onto the bed. "So you really are going to ra-"

"I'm not." Ryuichi flinched as Tatsuha laid a hand on his cheek. "I've already booked the flight to Japan. You leave at 12PM."

Ryuichi avoided his gaze, "It doesn't matter whether I'm here or in Japan. What do I have left there anyway? You changed my _fucking gender." _The singer whispered brokenly. "My friends, Tohma, Noriko and Shuichi may accept it, but my fans won't."

Nittle Grasper's vocalist bit his lip. "I won't be able to sing anymore. It'd be better for them to think I'm missing than see that their precious Sakuma Ryuichi is now female."

Tatsuha shook his head. "They don't have to know." The singer looked up and he locked his gaze with Ryuichi's teary one, "Sex-change operations don't change your voice. They only change your, well, sex. You voice should still be the same. I would never do anything to your lovely voice._"And if Jeffrey did, I'd have killed him."_

"You just have to hide the fact that you're now a girl. No offence, but you have quite small breasts. I can get one of my female friends to help you bind them." He smiled encouragingly at Ryuichi's surprised expression. "You'll still be able to sing."

Tatsuha got up from the bed. He glanced at his watch. "It's now 10.00AM. Your flight leaves at 12PM." He turned his head to look at the silent singer. "You better go bathe now. We still have to get my friend to bind your chest. There are towels and clothes in the closet." He turned and walked towards the open door. "I will wait for you outside."

The door closed with a click. Ryuichi stared dazedly at empty air. He was going back to Japan. He would be able to see all his friends again. He would be able to sing again. Ryuichi smiled his first true smile in days. Stretching, he got up and went to the bathroom, discarding his shirt and stepping into the shower.

Ryuichi sighed in contentment as he turned on the shower and the warm water cascaded down his body. The singer closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before beginning to sing Sleepless Beauty. A smile broke out onto his face. Tatsuha was right. His voice had not changed at all from the time his body had been a man's. The singer smiled happily.

After several more minutes in the shower, Ryuichi stepped out. He hummed the tune of Shining Collection as he made his way to the closet to grab a towel to dry himself.

When he was done, Ryuichi pulled on his boxers from the floor before donning a pair of black jeans and a green T-shirt from the closet. Grabbing a comb from the nearby dresser, he ran it through his hair a few times, absentmindedly shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. The singer then proceeded in the direction of the living room.

Tatsuha was there, sitting on the couch, staring at seemingly nothing. He looked up as Ryuichi walked in.

"Are you ready?" At the singer's nod, he heaved himself up from the couch, grabbing his keys from the table. "Alright. Let's go. We're taking my car."

* * *

"We're here." Ryuichi blinked and turned his gaze from the window. The vocalist got out of the car and stared at the building in front of him.

The brunette turned to Tatsuha. "Why are we at a club?"

"My friend works here." The raven haired man replied simply before he proceeded to walk into the building. "I'm going in to fetch her. Wait here."

Suddenly he stopped, as if remembering something. "Oh. I almost forgot." Ryuichi watched curiously as he walked to the car, searching inside the vehicle for something. He soon emerged with a cap, hat and two pairs of sunglasses. He placed the cap on his head and put on the sunglasses.

"Here," Tatsuha tossed the remaining items to the singer, who caught them effortlessly. "You'll need to hide your identity."

Ryuichi blinked for a moment, watching as the former fan boy entered the building. The singer stared at the sunglasses and hat. It was a sunhat with a cute red ribbon in the middle, the kind that girls wore on beaches when they were laying back in their deckchairs, staring up at the sun through their sunglasses as the wind played with strands of their long hair. Ryuichi personally found it too feminine, but the singer supposed it was to make his disguise more believable. Shrugging, the celebrity put on the items on.

Ryuichi turned his gaze to his surroundings. The singer was in a desolate area, the type where all sorts of incidents were likely to happen. The streets only held a few people, even at this time of the day, and the buildings were dark and looming. The place sent shivers up Ryuichi's spine.

The club that Tatsuha had just entered was the only building that seemed to hold life. It shone with brightly coloured lights of all kinds. Ryuichi could hear the music and laughter from outside. The singer raised his eyes to the brightly flashing sign, _Angel's Death._

_"_Well, aren't you just cute!" Ryuichi started as hands took a hold of his face. Emerald orbs filled his vision.

Blue eyes turned to look at the owner of emerald orbs. It was a woman. She was tall, with curly blonde hair framing her beautiful smiling face, green eyes staring at him with the slightest bit of curiosity. She wore a pretty blue blouse with a yellow ribbon in the middle and a knee length blue skirt with flowers of all colours decorating the material, and high heels on her feet.

The blonde turned. "Shade! Is she a model?"

"No she isn't." The black haired man replied as he walked up to them.

"What? How can that be? Look at that silky brown hair, the smooth as velvet skin! She's perfect for the industry!" The green eyed woman turned back to the surprised singer. "Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda Rain. What's your name?"

"Ryu-" Ryuichi caught himself in time. He cleared his throat, using the same voice he had with Miss Star and Bianca. "Ryuko."

"Ryuko huh? You're Japanese like Tatsuha?" Amanda blurted. She covered her mouth in shock. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that!" She turned around to face the frowning man. "Sorry Shade!"

Tatsuha sighed. "Fortunately for you, she already knows."

"Oh. " Amanda blinked. Then she grinned, "Is she one of your friends from Japan?" Tatsuha nodded. Seeing that Tatsuha did not seem to want to elaborate further, the blonde turned back to Ryuichi. "Hey Ryuko, are you a model?" A shake of the head. "Really? Then what are you?"

"A singer." Ryuichi replied automatically. He grimaced, inwardly cursing himself.

"Really? What band are you from? Or are you a soloist?" The woman asked eagerly.

Tatsuha sighed at the woman's barrage of questions. "Hey Amanda. Stop pestering the poor girl and get in the car." He scolded, drawing her away from Ryuichi.

Amanda pouted. "I wasn't pestering her! I was just curious!"

Tatsuha waved his hand. "Yeah, whatever you say."

Amanda stuck her tongue out at him as she got into the backseat with the silent Ryuichi. "He's such a meanie, isn't he?" Ryuichi nodded hesitantly. Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so quiet? Are you shy or something?"

Ryuichi stared in surprise. The singer shook his head. "No...I'm just tired." He replied lamely. "I slept late last night."

Amanda grinned. "Really? Why?" She nudged the singer conspiratorially, "Anything to do with our dear old Tatsuha, maybe?"

Ryuichi smiled weakly. "Not really." "_More than you think."_

Amanda frowned playfully, "Awww, you're no fun." She leaned back against the car seat, resting her arms behind her head. "So Ryuko, why do you want to bind your chest?"

Ryuichi froze at the casual question."I-"

"She wants to avoid an ex-boyfriend," Ryuichi started as Tatsuha called out from the front. "He's really crazy and would do all sorts of bad things to her if he ever found her. He even tried to take advantage of her once. She wants to disguise herself as a guy so he won't recognise her."

Amanda frowned. "Oh I see." Then she smiled. "Though I can't say I blame him. I mean, Ryuko, you're gorgeous!"

Ryuichi flushed. "Thanks?"

Amanda grinned. "Awww, she's so cute!" Ryuichi squeaked in surprise as the other girl crushed the brunette to her chest.

Ryuichi felt the car stop. "Hey Ryuko, Amanda, I'm going to get the bandages. You two can wait in the car." Ryuichi blinked and looked out the window. They had stopped outside a hospital. Tatsuha got out of the car. "Amanda, don't molest Ryuko too much okay?"

The blonde grinned brightly. "Kay!" She sang. Tatsuha left. Amanda giggled at Ryuichi's surprised and slightly frightened expression. "Don't worry Ryuko, I'm not really a lesbian. Tatsuha was just joking!"

Ryuichi blinked."Oh."

Amanda nodded eagerly. "Yup. I like guys. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Rain." She giggled. "Oh and that hot singer from Japan, Sakuma Ryuichi."

Ryuichi choked on thin air. "S-Sakuma Ryuichi?"

"Yeah!" The blonde sighed dreamily, "I mean, how could I not? He's cute, sexy _and_ hot!" The fan girl swooned. "Oh, those piercing blue eyes, that gorgeous brown hair! Oh, my Ryuichi!"

_'I'm not yours';_ Ryuichi was tempted to say, but kept his mouth shut. The singer mentally sighed. So this was why he needed to be in disguise. _"She's like a female version of Tatsuha. Or, at least, the Tatsuha whom I thought I knew, before all this shit happened..."_

"Come to think of it, you look a lot like him," Amanda's voice, piqued with curiosity, shocked the singer out of his almost trance-like stare. The brunette eyed Amanda warily as the blonde peered closer at him. "Yup, you have brown hair like him, and looks like you two are about the same height...hey why are you wearing sunglasses at this time of the day anyway?"

Ryuichi resisted the urge to gulp. "I-I have a black eye," he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "A black eye?"

"Yeah," Ryuichi nodded convincingly. An image of Tatsuha telling Amanda about his 'ex-boyfriend' flashed in his mind. "My ex-boyfriend found me recently. He was very angry that I had left him and punched me in the face, among other things..." The singer put on his best sad smile, lowering his gaze demurely. "Fortunately, I managed to get away."

"Oh I see," Amanda's eyes were full of sympathy. Ryuichi smirked inwardly. "_I've been able to deceive 3 people so far. I guess the 3 years I spent in America pursuing a career in acting paid off after all."_

"Don't worry Ryuko, I'll protect you!" Ryuichi was jolted out of his thoughts by the unexpected claim. The vocalist stared in surprise at the determined girl. Amanda grinned, clenching a fist and flexing her muscles. "I'm strong; I won't let some wannabe gangster guy defeat me! I'll beat him up for you!"

"And Tatsuha will too. He's very protective towards the people he cares about, and I think you're quite close to his heart," Amanda giggled, before smiling gently at Ryuichi. "So don't look so sad anymore okay? I hate seeing my friends sad."

Ryuichi could not help but smile back. "Thank you Amanda."

The singer felt a little happier. He had spent about three days in America without any friends around and his life turned completely upside down. The singer had only had Tatsuha, who was the one who had ordered to kidnap Ryuichi in the first place. Although he had to admit he had been fairly nice to him and he had started to trust him, until he had betrayed his trust.

Even if his story was untrue, it was nice to have someone to care about his well being. Nittle Grasper's lead singer had always had people around him who cared for him, even during his solo career in America; Ryuichi felt incredibly desolate and lonely without any of his friends around.

Ryuichi's eyes widened at the realization. _"That's right. I've spent the last few days wallowing in self pity and boiling in anger at Tatsuha at my predicament, without Tohma, Noriko, Shuichi or anyone to distract me from my thoughts." _Ryuichi's lips curved into a frown. "_Without realizing it, I've become a shadow of my former self. I've been so depressed that I haven't had time to actually just be myself at all!"_

_"Yes, myself," _Ryuichi's eyes narrowed in determination. "_Man or woman, I'm still Sakuma Ryuichi, lead singer of Nittle Grasper, band mate and best friend of Seguchi Tohma and Ukai Noriko, idol, or so he claims, to Bad Luck's lead vocalist Shindou Shuichi, and to many others as well. I'm still a 36 year old who carries around a pink bunny everywhere, and in many eyes, a sex god when on stage."_

_"And, I'm going back to Japan," _The singer smiled. _"Soon, I'll be able to see my friends again. I'll still be the lead vocalist of Nittle Grasper. I'll be able to sing again. Nothing will change. Nothing __**has **__to change. I'll be able to go back to my normal life, singing, laughing with my friends, doing the things I love. It is only my gender which has changed; my voice didn't, and my personality won't._

Ryuichi grinned brightly at the realization. He resisted the urge to hug his new friend. "Thank you Amanda-chan! You're a great friend na... ! **(1)** The singer almost forgot to exclude his customary 'na no da'.

Nittle Grasper's lead vocalist watched as Amanda blinked in confusion for a moment. It didn't take long for the confusion to disappear from her eyes and a grin rivalling Ryuichi's in brightness to appear on her face. "Well, I have no idea what I did, but if it got you to thank me, lapse into silence for a moment before thanking me again with a grin like that then I guess it must have been a great thing!"

The blonde grinned as she pounded her fist on her chest in pride. "I, Amanda Rain, declare herself proud to have made Sakuma Ryuichi smile again!"

Ryuichi giggled at the girl's antics. "Yeah, you sure are-" he paused mid-speech as Amanda's words caught up to his brain. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Ryuichi stared at Amanda with shocked blue eyes through black sunglasses as the blonde broke into a smirk that seemed almost evil. "I said, I, Amanda Rain, declare herself proud to have made Sakuma Ryuichi smile again."

Ryuichi's eyes widened. He sputtered. "What? But-but I'm not, I mean, I'm Minagawa Ryuko, not Sakuma Ryuichi-" The singer broke off as Amanda held a finger to his lips.

The blonde smiled reassuringly. "I know who you really are. It's alright, you don't have to pretend anymore. I won't judge you, look down on you or anything like that. I won't ask how or why you did it. I believe you must have your reasons, and I respect you too much to make you uncomfortable by invading your privacy."

Ryuichi stared. Amanda grinned. "Besides, I never thought I'd say this, but you make a cute girl!" She giggled, reaching out her hands to remove Ryuichi's sunglasses, revealing stunned blue eyes. "Especially with those adorable blue eyes!"

Ryuichi blushed at the compliment. The brunette smiled. "Thank you Amanda-chan."

Amanda smirked. "No problem," she then grinned. "I mean, Sakuma Ryuichi has thanked me thrice in a day! T-This is the stuff of my dreams!" She swooned.

The singer smirked, deciding to tease the overexcited fan girl a little.

Nittle Grasper's lead vocalist narrowed blue eyes in a sexy stare that could cause fan girls to have a severe nosebleed, leaned forward towards the now blushing girl until only a few inches separated their lips and whispered teasingly. "Well then, I guess dreams do come true, don't they?"

Ryuichi withdrew, giggling at the expression of astonishment on Amanda's face. "Oh you should see the expression on your face!"

The blonde snapped out of her daze as her idol giggled. She glared playfully. "Geez, way to tease a girl, Ryu-chan! I seriously thought you were going to kiss me or something!"

Ryuichi grinned, "Sorry, I couldn't resist, na no da!" The brunette collapsed into the seat, giggling. "Oh I wish I had a camera!"

Amanda pouted, giving Ryuichi a playful punch on the arm. "You're evil, do you know that?"

Ryuichi simply smirked. "I know." Blue eyes narrowed and a suave baritone voice flowed out of the singer's mouth. "But you love me this way, don't you, Amanda-chan?"

Laughter escaped Ryuichi's mouth and he rolled onto the floor, unable to take the hilarity of Amanda's eyes widening in disbelief, her mouth dropping open as a blush took over her cheeks. "God, your face! You look like Tohma's pet goldfish Winky, na no da! Oh what I would give to have a camera with me right now!"

Amanda snapped out of her stupor at the sound of Ryuichi's laughter. She glared. "That's it," She hissed in mock anger. "You're going down!"

Ryuichi gasped as the blonde pounced onto him, hands reaching out to tickle his sides mercilessly. Peals of laughter flowed out from his mouth. "Alright, stop, stop! I won't tease you anymore, na no da!" The singer shrieked with laughter as his tormentor's fingers moved to the more ticklish parts on his body. "Amanda!"

The blonde smirked evilly. "Well, who would have ever thought that the great Sakuma Ryuichi was so ticklish?" She whispered teasingly. "Sorry Ryu-chan, but I won't stop until you give me a good reason to!"

Ryuichi couldn't resist. "How about a kiss?" The singer whispered huskily in a deep voice. Five seconds later found the brunette back to giggling helplessly as his friend continued her torture on the poor singer with renewed vigour. "Alright, alright! I promise I won't do that again, na no da! Just stop!"

Amanda withdrew from the breathless singer, smirking and crossing her arms in satisfaction, her cheeks still a little red from Ryuichi's earlier comment. "That's much better."

The sound of the car door opening turned their gazes to the front. Tatsuha entered the vehicle, muttering as he tossed the roll of bandages onto the passenger seat. "Damn stubborn hospital people..."

At the silence in the car, the black haired man turned his head curiously. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Amanda straddling Ryuichi on the floor of the car. "Do I even want to know?"

Laughter escaped Ryuichi at the sight of Tatsuha's skeptical expression. "It's not what you think, na no da!"

"Yeah!" Amanda grinned. She poked Ryuichi's cheek playfully. The two of them shared a grin. "I was just punishing this naughty little singer!"

Said singer chuckled as Tatsuha's eyes widened. "I think you just made it worse, Amanda-chan!"

The blonde smirked, "Oops, I didn't mean to," She purred, placing a sloppy wet kiss on the singer's cheek, glancing at Tatsuha out of the corner of her eye. "Forgive me, Ryu?"

The brunette giggled. "It's ok, I forgive you, na no da!"

"Great!" Amanda gave a grin, which Ryuichi returned, oblivious to Tatsuha glaring at their friend, jealousy in his eyes. Amanda smirked. "I knew my Ryu could never be angry with me!" The two of them then erupted into another giggling fest.

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. "I will never understand you two." He muttered as he started the engine. He turned his head, staring at the two friends sitting on the floor, chatting animatedly with each other.

Black eyes took in the happy expression on Ryuichi's face. Tatsuha smiled. The words left his mouth unconsciously. "I'm glad you're back, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi smiled genuinely back at him, much to Tatsuha's surprise. Blue eyes stared at him in contentment. "I'm glad I'm back too, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha smiled and proceeded to drive.

* * *

**(1) I know they're speaking in English, but it just feels weird without suffixes and the usual na no da, you know? And I don't think Ryuichi would abandon her favourite phrase just because English is another language. That playful singer would find some way to insert it into her words. Oh and Amanda is just playing along. Whether she knows Japanese or not, I haven't decided that yet.**


	9. Chapter 8: Opposition

_Author's Note_

_**To blueberry : **You are welcome. Yes poor Ryuichi; I didn't mean to do that really. But like you mentioned, Tatsuha was bound to snap sometime. I could not have him kill Ryuichi or anything. And there was the fact that he hadn't initiated any sexual contact with Ryuichi yet. Coupled with his anger, frustration and drunkeness, it seemed like the only logical thing for him to do. And it moves the plot forward, which is an essential part of this story._

_Yes, I am glad that Ryuichi is back to normal too. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that; I missed adorable little Ryu-chan too. And yes, Ryuichi has always had Tatsuha's heart. The oblivious singer doesn't realize it though. I'm so cruel to poor Tatsuha. But then again, sacrifices have to be made. At least Ryuichi will finally be able to meet up with Tohma, Eiri, Shuichi, K and Noriko, right?_

_**To sweetsally : **Well, the double update was my late birthday present to my other faithful reviewer, _blueberry. _But thank you anyway. Oh and I have already changed the rating to M, I forgot to do it when I updated this story. Haha. I am quite a forgetful person; I only remember things at the last minute._

_I too am glad that Ryuichi is back to normal. Like I told _blueberry, _you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. I missed adorable little Ryu-chan too. But I couldn't have cute Ryu-chan at the beginning of the story, for obvious reasons, so cold and cool Ryuichi had to do._

_When is Ryuichi going to meet Tohma and the gang, huh? Well, if I'm not wrong, Ryuichi will meet Tohma, K, Shuichi, Eiri and Noriko in the chapter after this, which will come out on Saturday. I have already written it. And it will be a happy and fluffy reunion; for the most part. Haha, I don't want to reveal too much. It's one of my favourite scenes in this story._

**Warnings: Use of vulgarities, gender bender, crossdressing(?), possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU**

**Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me, but Maki Murakami. I do, however, own Amanda, Jeffrey, Kate, Miss Star, Bianca, Mirai, Dean and Lionel Dream.**

**Notes for this chapter: A certain scene in this chapter may not make much sense, but I promise it will all be clarified in later chapters.**

* * *

Tatsuha stopped his car outside his house, grabbing the roll of bandages and getting out, waiting for Amanda and Ryuichi to do so before he locked the car doors and proceeded to stride towards the door, unlocking it with his keys and leading his two companions into his house.

"Here," The black haired man handed the roll of bandages to Amanda. "You can use my bedroom."

"Okay!" Amanda grinned brightly as she took the bandages from Tatsuha, before grabbing Ryuichi's hand and dragging the singer to Tatsuha's bedroom.

When they were both inside, the blonde turned to close and lock the bedroom door, before turning to Ryuichi with a smile. "Alright, Ryu-chan. Off with the shirt."

Ryuichi casually shrugged off his shirt, before turning to Amanda, who was unrolling the bandages carefully. "What now, Amanda-chan?"

Amanda faced Ryuichi with a reassuring smile. "This may feel weird Ryuichi, but I'm going to have to touch your breasts, okay?"

Ryuichi nodded, and the girl came to stand behind the singer. "Oh and you have to pay close attention, because I'm afraid you're going to have to do this yourself when you get back to Japan."

Ryuichi stared in surprise. "How did you know I was going back to Japan?"

Amanda merely winked in return. "Well, why else would you want to bind your chest for?"

Ryuichi smiled. "True," the singer giggled. "Amanda-chan's so smart, na no da!"

Amanda grinned. "You know it!"

Ryuichi grinned back. He paused for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Ne Amanda-chan, will I still be able to hug people without them knowing that I'm female now?"

Amanda pondered the question for a moment, before grinning. "Well, you should be able to! I mean, your breasts are quite small, Ryu-chan!" She giggled. "No offence. But just in case, I'll make sure to bind them tight, but not too tight or you won't be able to breathe!"

Ryuichi glared playfully at his friend. "You're so mean, Amanda-chan!" He pouted. "Tatsuha said the same thing."

Amanda's eyes widened at this. "He did? That's so rude of him!" She frowned. "How could a guy say such a thing to a girl?"

Ryuichi blinked. "I'm not really a girl, na no da." The singer smiled awkwardly. "I just turned female a few days ago."

Amanda blinked. "Oh."

The blonde patted her friend on the shoulder, "Hey, don't look so sad. Like I said, I'm not going to question on why you did it or anything," she smiled. "Guy or girl, you're still my friend and idol."

"_To tell you the truth, I don't really care whether you're a girl or a guy. You're still Ryuichi to me."_

Tatsuha's words echoed in Ryuichi's mind. The singer brushed them away, deciding to think about them some other time. Ryuichi grinned. "Thank you Amanda-chan!"

Amanda giggled. "No need to thank me, Ryu-chan. We're friends right?"

Ryuichi nodded eagerly. "That's right, na no da!"

Amanda gave a bright grin before returning to the task at hand. "Alright, Ryu-chan. Lift your arms."

The singer complied, and the blonde gently grabbed a hold of the other 'girl's' breasts, pushing them up and to the side. "Am I hurting you?"

Ryuichi shook his head, though his face was a little red. It was just uncomfortable; having another person touch him in such an intimate way. Even if it was another woman, Ryuichi had been a man once. "I'm fine."

Amanda nodded. Holding up the breasts with one hand, she used the other to wrap the bandages around Ryuichi's chest. Ryuichi inhaled sharply, and Amanda stopped at the movement. "What's wrong? Is it too tight?"

The singer nodded, and the blonde pulled back the bandages a little before wrapping them again in a different position and a little less tight. "Is this okay?"

Ryuichi smiled. "It's much better, na no da."

Amanda smiled back, and using safety pins from her pocket, she secured the bandages around the singer's chest, patting them down a little, causing Ryuichi to flush a light red. She took a pair of scissors out from her pocket to cut away the excess bandages. "Alright Ryu-chan, I'm done. You can put on your shirt back now."

Ryuichi donned his shirt. When he was done, Amanda stepped back and admired her handiwork. She grinned. "Perfect."

Ushering the brunette towards the bathroom, the blonde pointed to the mirror. "Have a look."

Ryuichi stared at his reflection in the mirror, smiling at the sight of his now flat chest. He heard a rustle, and suddenly a phone was held in front of him. The vocalist blinked as a finger pressed a button and the phone's dark screen vanished to reveal a picture of him before the operation.

Surprised, the singer turned to his friend. "You have a picture of me as your wallpaper?"

Amanda grinned. "Yup! You're hot, you know?"

Ryuichi blushed at the compliment. "Thanks..."

Amanda resisted the urge to squeal. "You're looking so adorable Ryu-chan I really want to hug you right now!"

"But anyway, look," Amanda held the phone beside the singer's face as she turned Ryuichi to face the mirror. "Don't you look exactly the same as you did back then?"

Taking hold of the device, Ryuichi looked at the picture in Amanda's phone. In the picture, the singer was leaning forward, a smirk on his handsome face and a microphone to his lips as he stared at the photographer with narrowed blue eyes. He wore a coat with a complicated yet extravagant design covered with grey, splashed with white, and striped with black, and a necklace bearing three fangs was hung around his neck. Ryuichi remembered wearing the outfit when he posed for the photographer in that particular photo shoot, in a picture that was to be included in the latest and upcoming Nittle Grasper DVD back then.

The singer closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them to reveal narrowed blue orbs. Plastering a smirk onto his face, Ryuichi leaned back leisurely against the sink, stretching an arm behind his head while the other held Amanda's phone beside his face.

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at the stunned blonde, smirking, baritone voice drawling in a sexy tone. "How do I look?"

At Ryuichi's words, Amanda shook herself out of her reverie. She stared at the picture of Ryuichi in her phone, before turning her gaze to the real one standing in front of her, posing and smirking sexily.

"I...uh....um..." The normally talkative blonde sputtered incoherently.

Ryuichi grinned teasingly. He drawled. "What, cat got your tongue?"

Amanda swallowed. The blonde could only stare in awe at the sexy singer. "You're fucking _hot."_

"Is that so?" Feeling evil, the brunette abandoned his position against the sink, approaching the frozen girl. Raising a hand, Ryuichi gently cupped the blonde's cheek, murmuring softly against her lips. "Would you like to kiss me, Amanda?"

"Don't tempt me, Ryuichi." The blonde looked away, green eyes shadowed.

Ryuichi raised a questioning eyebrow at Amanda's dark tone. "Amanda? What-"

The singer was cut off as a mouth descended on his lips. The brunette gasped in surprise and a tongue entered his mouth, hungrily exploring his caverns.

There was a low growl, and Ryuichi found himself pushed against the wall as Amanda kissed him forcefully. The blond grinded harshly against him, and Ryuichi's eyes widened as he felt the presence of something that was not supposed to be there.

Ryuichi tore away, panting harshly, face flushed. He stared at Amanda, blue eyes wide. "Amanda...what...how..."

Sighing, the blonde ran a hand through her hair, green eyes staring at Ryuichi solemnly. "I'm sorry."

Ryuichi could only stare in disbelief. "You're a guy?" The blonde nodded. "But...how? Why?"

"I was born a guy," Amanda explained simply. "My real name's Xavier Rain."

"What? But...but you're a girl...I mean, you look like a girl to me." Ryuichi stated hesitantly.

Amanda smiled almost sadly. "I went for a sex-change operation, Ryuichi. I'm a girl now, except for a certain part of my body, which I'm sure you know what it is. I'm still...a little hesitant to remove it."

Ryuichi blushed, remembering the sensation of Amanda grinding against him. "Yeah..."

Silence engulfed the room for a moment, as Ryuichi took in the new information and Amanda waited patiently for him to do so.

"So, I guess you want to know about my past?" Ryuichi looked up, surprised, as Amanda stared at him with an unidentifiable emotion in her eyes. "The reason I wanted to become a girl."

The singer shook his head firmly, "No, Amanda. I don't. No matter what, you're my friend. It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl." Ryuichi smiled. "Besides, you chose to respect my privacy, and so I'll choose to respect yours."

Amanda smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi grinned in return. "No problem! I mean, we're friends, right?"

Amanda grinned back, her green eyes bright again with happiness. "Yeah!" She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about just now, I just couldn't control myself when you were so close to me."

"It's alright, na no da!" Ryuichi gave a bright smile. "It was my own fault for attempting to seduce you anyway."

Amanda grinned. "My Ryu's so kind to me!" She swooned. "I'm not worthy!"

Ryuichi giggled. "You're so silly, Amanda-chan!"

Amanda laughed, and the two friends began to exit the bathroom. They were about to make their way out of the bedroom when Ryuichi noticed the bulge in Amanda's skirt. "Ne, Amanda-chan?"

Amanda turned curiously. "Yes Ryu-chan?"

The singer turned a light red. "Um, you better do something about that first." He pointed to the evidence of Amanda's aroused state.

Amanda looked down. She blinked. "Oh." She smiled. "Alright, Ryu. But could you wait outside? This is a little private for me."

Ryuichi nodded. "Okay, na no da."

Giving the blonde a bright smile, the singer went out of the bedroom to give his friend privacy.

* * *

Jeffrey stirred, stretching his arms and legs and producing cracking sounds. The red haired man blinked open his golden eyes, his vision blurry. "Ugh...what happened?"

Images of his recent battle with K flashed into his mind, and he sat up so fast that his back made a cracking noise. "That's right, K's come to look for Sakuma with his friends. Damn, I've got to inform the Boss."

A hand automatically reached out to fumble in his pocket for his phone. Jeffrey growled in frustration when he found out the device was missing. "Damn, that bastard must have taken my phone. He must have known I'd search for it and took it away so that I'd lead him to the Boss and he could follow me with a tracking device or something."

The red haired man then commenced searching himself for K's tracking device. "Humph, idiot thinks he can fool me..." Jeffrey emptied all his pockets, taking off his jacket, unhooking his guns and even messing up his hair in his search for the object.

"I can't find it...strange..." Jeffrey murmured to himself, bewildered, golden eyes blinking as messy red hair partially covered them. After another minute of searching his body and clothes for the tiny object, the red haired man gave up.

"Oh well, I guess I overestimated him. He's not as clever and cunning as I thought after all." Jeffrey muttered to himself as he hid his darts back in his jacket and put his clothes and guns back on. When he was once again fully clothed and armed, the red haired man strolled to the door and out to his car. "I better hurry and inform the Boss of K's and his friends' presence..."

* * *

A certain long-haired, blond American was polishing his guns in his hotel room, smiling and humming to himself when he was interrupted by a beeping sound. Recognising the noise, K snapped to alertness as he pulled out the source of the alarm from his breast pocket.

Narrowed eyes stared at the tracker in his hand. A red dot was moving slowly on the green screen. K watched as it remained stationary on one spot, before it began moving again, this time at a much faster rate. K looked at the bottom left of the screen, where white words signified that its speed had shot up to 80km/h.

K smirked. "It seems that he didn't discover the location of the tracking device," he pulled out his phone, dialling a certain blond's number. "I really have to thank Shuichi for his burst of genius."

"Hello, Seguchi Tohma speaking-"

"Tohma, this is K. Get the others ready and meet me at the lobby in 3 minutes. It's time."

"Understood."

* * *

It did not take long for the blond keyboardist to do as K had commanded. In exactly 3 minutes, Shuichi, Noriko, Eiri, Tohma and K were all gathered at the lobby, waiting for K's orders.

The tall American turned to the blond keyboardist. "I need a car."

Tohma smiled, "I already have one ready."

K nodded in satisfaction. He and the others then followed Tohma to the car park to a sleek black Mercedes. Eiri, Shuichi and Noriko got in at the back while Tohma took the passenger seat at the front, leaving K as the driver.

The blond took the key Tohma handed to him, pushing it into the ignition and turning it as he geared up the engine. When the car was ready, K reversed the vehicle and drove out of the car park, one hand on the wheel and the other holding the device on his hand.

The blond American looked at the moving red dot, before turning his eyes to the white letters on the top. "Hmm... eastbound Brooklyn**-**Queens Expressway. Well, that's not too far off from here. Guess I'll have to take it slow."

"Since when were you able to drive slowly?!" Shuichi exclaimed incredulously from the back.

K turned his head to the astonished pink haired singer. He vaguely registered Tohma releasing a little sigh of relief from beside him. The blond smirked. "Since I started learning how to drive. I just like to drive fast. It gives me a great rush, you know?"

Shuichi just nodded, unbelieving. K smirked.

"Besides, I have to drive slowly or he'd notice us. Then our plan would go down the drain."

* * *

It took about twenty minutes for Jeffrey to reach Tatsuha's house. The red haired man got out of his car and walked up the pathway to the door, reaching out to press the doorbell.

He frowned in annoyance when the door remained closed. Tapping his foot impatiently, he pushed the button again several times, causing the bell to produce an almost annoying array of 'ding dongs'.

Jeffrey heard an annoyed sigh, before the shuffling of footsteps as someone dragged themselves to the door. "Geez, alright, alright! I'm coming!"

The door opened, and Jeffrey found himself facing Tatsuha, who wore an annoyed expression on his face. "God, you didn't have to ring the doorbell so many times Jeffrey! Do you know how irritating that stupid bell is!?"

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow at the scowl on Tatsuha's face. "Well, someone's in a bad mood."

Tatsuha stared at him for a moment, before sighing. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up his raven locks, "Sorry Jeff, it's just that a lot of things have been happening lately. I'm kind of stressed out." The raven haired man led his visitor into his house. "Well, come in, will you?"

Jeffrey followed his best friend into his house, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "What happened, Shade?"

Tatsuha heaved a sigh, plopping down onto the couch. "The usual; I fucked up with Ryuichi," "_literally"_ Obsidian eyes turned their gaze to the floor, guilt in their black depths. "And it was a really big mistake this time. In fact, he hates me now. He told me so himself."

Jeffrey frowned. "I see. Do you want to talk about it or anything?"

Tatsuha gave a dry laugh. "No. Just, no." He buried his head in his hands. "Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have gone to _Angel's Death."_

"Shade..."

Tatsuha's head shot up at the voice full of sympathy. Black eyes glared with rage at golden ones. "Don't you _dare_ pity me, Jeffrey. You know I _hate_ pity."

Jeffrey nodded, a little afraid of the anger in his boss's eyes.

Tatsuha glared at him for a moment longer, before sighing again. "So, Jeffrey, why are you here?"

At those words, Jeffrey was reminded of his original purpose in visiting Shade. "I've come to warn you Shade."

"Warn me?"

Jeffrey nodded, ignoring Tatsuha's disbelieving expression. "Yeah. My rival, K, just came to my house one day and demanded to see Sakuma. We fought and well, his companions joined the battle and I got hit by one of my own darts. It put me to sleep so K had to leave and well, when I woke up I immediately drove here to warn you."

"They know that Sakuma is here with you Shade. Though they don't know where-"

"HAHAHAHAHA! It's too late, J!" Tatsuha and Jeffrey both jumped up from their seats at the sound of the raucous laughter.

Jeffrey turned to face a smirking K, golden eyes wide in astonishment. "What the fuck?! K how did you-"

"Tracking device, J. Tsk, I thought you should have known."

"What the hell?! But I checked all over and I couldn't find it! Where the heck did you put it!?"

K grinned widely, winking. "In one of your guns, my friend."

"What the fuck..."

K smirked, before turning to Tatsuha. _"He looks familiar..."_

"So, you're Shade huh? The new Boss of _Hellfire _and J's new best friend?" Tatsuha nodded. "And the one who ordered J to kidnap Ryuichi?"

The black haired man nodded again. K narrowed his eyes and pulled out a gun. "This is your last chance. Hand over Ryuichi right now."

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow, smirking. "And if I refuse?"

K answered by firing at the raven haired man. To his surprise, Tatsuha dodged the bullet. With narrowed black eyes, the Boss of _Hellfire_ drew a gun and shot a few times at K, who winced as two bullets got him in the shoulder.

The American growled. He took out another gun and charged forward, firing rapidly at Tatsuha, who had run to the other end of the room and drawn a sword from the wall, moving it swiftly in complicated motions to block most of K's bullets.

The two men stared at each other for a moment, panting, before Tatsuha smirked. He held a hand out to stop Jeffrey, who had taken out a gun. "This is my battle, Jeff."

The red haired man nodded reluctantly, lowering his arm. He watched as his best friend stared at his former best friend and rival with narrowed obsidian eyes.

"K, was it? You're not bad; it's been a long time since I've had such a worthy opponent. Would you care for a duel?"

K raised an eyebrow, before nodding. "Fine. But if I win you'll hand Ryuichi over."

Tatsuha shrugged, as if he did not care one bit for the proposition. "Fine by me."

The raven haired man drew another sword from the wall, and tossed it to his opponent, who caught it, staring at the golden hilt decorated with a series of unknown patterns and the sharp, gleaming silver blade curiously. "A sword duel?"

"Yeah," Tatsuha nodded, as he tossed a sword identical to K's up in the air, catching it neatly. The raven haired model raised an eyebrow. "You do know how to use one, don't you?"

K snorted. "Are you kidding me? I was practically a professional swordsman back in the old days!" He grinned. "Just ask J."

"Yeah," Jeffrey agreed, when Tatsuha turned to look at him curiously. "He was so good that even I couldn't beat him."

Tatsuha nodded, satisfied by the answer. Everyone in the organization knew how good Jeffrey was with swords. He was second only to _Hellfire's_ Boss himself. Ironically, Jeffrey had told Tatsuha that he did not really like to use swords; he preferred his guns and darts.

"Get out of the way, Jeff." Was the only warning K got before Tatsuha raced towards him at lightning speed, thrusting his weapon towards the startled American. K barely managed to block the attack in time, and there was a loud clang as metal hit metal.

The two men jumped back. The blond smirked. "Shade, was it? Not bad; you're fast."

Tatsuha smirked back. "So are you, K."

The two swordsmen leapt away from each other, before rushing towards each other swiftly. Metal met metal as they parried with each other, blocking and dodging attacks, striking when the time was right.

Jeffrey sighed as he watched the battle from his place on the couch. Both fighters were moving so fast that even he could hardly see clearly what was going on. "I wonder how long this is going to last?"

"Though it's kind of obvious who's going to win this battle. Shade has never lost a duel of swords before, even when he was a beginner. And he's more than a pro now; I doubt even K could beat him. Or maybe they'd draw," the red haired gunman smirked. "But then again, it's Sakuma on the line, and he's not going to let go of his precious singer without a fight."

Jeffrey smiled as Tatsuha drew back for a moment, before rushing forward to attack K with his blade again. He had caught sight of a smile on his best friend's face.

"Well, at least he's happy. Come to think of it, Shade's always happy when he's fighting with a sword. I should have offered to duel with him." The red haired man sighed. "Why didn't I think of that earlier? I must be getting old..."

* * *

_**Author's Note: Important, please read.**_

_Well, I just want to say that starting with this chapter, I will be updating at a pace of about once every two days, instead of once a day. This is because we are getting to the part which I have stopped writing at, and if I continue updating at my regular pace, all of my written chapters will be posted before the year is up, and then you would have to wait for a few days or a week for a new chapter to come out, and I am sure you would not want that. To give you a little comfort; the chapter after this will be quite a long one, about 5000 words I think. To give you an idea of how long, this chapter is close to 4900 words, including the Author's Notes. It originally consisted of about 3600 words._

_On a side note, I have explored the settings of my account a little, and have discovered, to my surprise, that there have been 355 hits to this story, and, let's see, almost 20 hits to the chapter before this. Yet, out of those people, only two have reviewed. Why is that so? Is it because you do not like my story, but are interested in the direction in which it steers? Or is it because you are simply lazy? I really do not know. Whatever the reason is, I implore you, please review. I am a new author to this site, and I would really like to hear your opinion on what you think, and perhaps make improvements and edit later chapters story to further your reading pleasure. If you have any questions or doubts regarding the events in a chapter, you will also be able to ask them, and I will try my best to answer them without spoiling too much._

_Now that I have gotten that over with, I would like to give my two reviewers, **blueberry**_ _and_ _**sweetsally,** a very big thank you for reviewing my story, and even continuing to review for every updated chapter. Thank you so very much. I really, really appreciate your efforts, and I hope you will enjoy reading every chapter of this story as much as I enjoy writing it~_


	10. Chapter 9: Anticipated Meeting

_Author's Note_

_**To blueberry : **Yes they do, don't they? I'm glad you think K and Tatsuha's fight was interesting, as I did too. Conversation? Haha, more like taunting the other. But yeah, I guess it's somewhat intriguing._

_Ryuichi, a flirt? Wow, never thought I'd hear that. Haha but I guess Ryuichi was being kinda flirty with Amanda. That mischievous little singer just couldn't resist. Haha. Too bad it backfired._

_Well, anyway, here's the latest chapter. Finally Ryuichi meets up with the others, and...well, I don't want to say too much. It will be a joyful reunion for the most part. Oh and I'm sorry for updating so late in the day; I've been busy._

**Warnings: Gender bender, crossdressing(?), use of vulgarities, slight AU, possibility of characters being out of character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation; it and its characters belong to Maki Murakami. Although, I do own Dean, Jeffrey, Amanda, Miss Star, Bianca, Kate, Mirai, and Lionel Dream.**

**Notes for this chapter: None really, except for the possibility of characters being out of character.**

* * *

Ryuichi fidgeted in the corridor of Tatsuha's bedroom. The singer gave a sigh, wishing Amanda would hurry up. The brunette did not want to go into the living room alone, to an awkward silence between him and Tatsuha.

The vocalist flushed as he heard the faint sound of low groans and moans coming from the bathroom in Tatsuha's bedroom. He cursed his sensitive hearing.

Closing blue eyes, Ryuichi began to sing _Lost Complex _softly, as a means of distraction. Completely absorbed into the song, the singer began to move as he would on stage, pretending he was grasping a microphone in his hands, stepping back and forth, throwing an arm into the air as he got into the chorus on the song, a happy smile on his face.

Ryuichi could faintly hear noises come from the living room and the sound of people talking, but he ignored them, too engrossed with his song. It was only when he was on the second chorus that he was interrupted when the sound of a gunshot reached the brunette's ears.

Ryuichi's eyes shot open, wide with surprise. "_Was that a gun?"_

No sooner than he had thought that, there were several more gunshots, and a faint sound of a sword being drawn. _"What's happening out there?"_

Now even more reluctant to enter the living room lest he be dragged into the battle, Ryuichi crept quietly along the corridor of Tatsuha's bedroom. The noises were getting louder as he moved along, and the singer could make out some words; "_my battle, Jeff.", "not bad", "care for a duel?". _Narrowing blue eyes, Ryuichi turned a few more corners before he reached the edge of the corridor that led into the living room.

Ryuichi took a deep breath, before poking his head around the wall. The singer's eyes widened at the scene before him. _"K!?"_

Tatsuha and K were facing each other, a sword in Tatsuha's hand and a gun in K's. Jeffrey was sitting on a couch, looking slightly bored.

Ryuichi bit his lip. _"What's he doing here...?"_

"Fine. But if I win you'll hand Ryuichi over."

The brown haired vocalist watched as Tatsuha raised shoulders up in a casual shrug. "Fine by me."

The black haired man pulled a sword from the wall and threw it to K, who eyed it curiously. "A sword duel?"

"Yeah," Ryuichi watched in awe as Tatsuha threw his sword up into the air, catching it easily as it came soaring down. "You do know how to use one, don't you?"

"Are you kidding me? I was practically a professional swordsman back in the old days! Just ask J."

Ryuichi turned his attention to the man whom had kidnapped him. The singer watched as the red haired man nodded. "Yeah, he was so good that even I couldn't beat him."

Tatsuha nodded. "Get out of the way, Jeff."

In the blink of an eye, Tatsuha was gone. Ryuichi blinked. _"Where did he disappear to?"_

Ryuichi's question was answered when a clang of metal against metal echoed in the air. Blue eyes moved to the right, and were met with a scene of K and Tatsuha with their swords against each other, smirking at the other.

Ryuichi stared as the two fighters leapt away from each other. "Shade, was it? Not bad; you're fast."

The singer watched as the darker haired of the two smirked back. "So are you, K."

The singer stood, frozen, by the wall as Tatsuha and K went at each other again, before he lost sight of the battle as the two swordsmen moved their bodies and swords too fast for shocked blue eyes to follow. _"Fuck, they're fast..."_

Yet, Ryuichi could not tear his eyes away. It hurt trying to decipher the movements of the two professionals; they moved so swiftly that when the vocalist blinked, they were already at the other end of the room. But for some reason, Ryuichi knew that it was a privilege to get to watch such an amazing dance of blades, that it was a rare display of excellence that few ever got to see, and he never wanted to look away.

Slowly, the brown haired singer stepped out into the living room to get a better view of the two men's skills, blue eyes never once removing their gaze from the fight.

Amidst the blur of black, brown, white, silver and gold, Ryuichi caught a flash of surprised blue, before their owner's sword was deflected out of his hand. It soared, spinning several times in the air and landed right between a startled Jeffrey's feet.

He watched as Tatsuha pinned a surprised K onto the floor. The black haired man smirked, holding his sharp blade to his opponent's neck. "Looks like I win, K. You do know that the price for losing in a duel against the Boss of _Hellfire _is _death_, right?"

K blinked, tearing his eyes away from Ryuichi. Regaining his composure, he turned his attention back to Tatsuha, raising an eyebrow, "Oh really? You would dare kill me?"

Tatsuha grinned. "Sure I do."

Ryuichi could not tell if he was joking or not, but he did not wait to find out as Tatsuha's blade nicked K's neck, issuing a little cut into the skin, and spilling blood down his neck. K winced.

"NO!" Ryuichi dashed over to where Jeffrey was sitting, pulling K's sword out of the ground from between the red haired gunman's feet and grabbing Jeffrey's gun off the table in front of the couch.

"Ryuichi!" The brown haired singer glared with blazing blue eyes at a shocked Tatsuha.

"Don't you dare," Ryuichi hissed scathingly, pointing the gun at the stunned black haired man's heart as a trembling hand held K's sword in a tight grip. "Move your blade an inch and I'll shoot. K told me himself that I have _very good _aim."

"Ryuichi-" K made use of Tatsuha's distracted state to reverse their positions, so that Tatsuha was lying on his stomach on the floor as K held his own sword to the man's neck.

K grinned at Ryuichi. "Wow Ryuichi, I never thought you would save my life one day."

Ryuichi smiled brightly, more at ease now that K's life was no longer in danger. "Same here, K."

"Ryuichi...I-" K silenced Tatsuha by pressing the blade harder against the Boss of _Hellfire's_ skin. A drop of blood made its way down Tatsuha's neck.

K smirked, "It seems that I am the winner after all." Blue eyes regarded the glaring Boss thoughtfully. "Now, what should I-"

The blond was cut off at the sensation of something wrapping around his midsection, squeezing him tightly and cutting off his air supply. K choked.

Ryuichi's eyes widened in alarm. "K!" The singer made to run to his friend, but was stopped as a hand winded around his waist and pulled him tightly against a firm but female chest. Blue eyes looked up in surprise.

"Stay away from him, Ryuichi. He's dangerous." Amanda told her friend as she held Ryuichi protectively.

The blond turned to the tall American, locking green with blue. "It has been a long time, Claude." There was no warmth in her voice.

K smiled, but it was one which radiated coldness. "Indeed it has, Amanda, or should I say; Xavier?"

Amanda growled, tightening the whip around K, watching in satisfaction as the man gasped and coughed. "Do. Not. Call. Me. By. That. Name."

K smiled challengingly. "Why? Is it not your re-" He was cut off as the whip curled around his neck tightly. K gagged, his eyes beginning to roll into the back of his head as his oxygen supply was cut off completely.

Ryuichi's eyes widened as he watched his friend attempt to choke his other friend to death. "No, Amanda! Don't!"

Green eyes turned to look at pleading blue ones. Amanda raised an eyebrow, but lessened the whip's grip on K a little. "Why not, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi flinched as his eyes met Amanda's. There was a coldness in her green eyes Ryuichi never imagined she could be capable of possessing. _"Why...why does she hate K so much?"_

Tears shimmered in blue orbs. "Because K's my friend!" The tears fell, and Ryuichi sobbed, burying his face in Amanda's chest. "So please...if you care for me...don't kill him. Or...or I'll hate you forever!" Narrowed blue eyes looked up to glare tearfully at surprised green ones.

There was a sigh, before Amanda released her whip's grip on K completely, though she still kept it wrapped around him. The blond man slumped over, panting harshly as he tried to get his breath back.

"It's ok, Ryuichi," Amanda reassured the sobbing singer, running gentle fingers along his back. "I've released him. I'm not going to kill him anymore."

Blue eyes looked up at her gratefully. "Thank you, Amanda."

Amanda smiled. "Anything for my Ryu," the blonde reached out a hand, slender fingers gently brushing the tears off Ryuichi's cheeks. "I'm sorry I made you cry." She whispered, guilt in her green eyes.

Ryuichi smiled, happy to see that his friend was back. "It's alright, Amanda-chan. Ryu-chan cries all the time, na no da!"

Amanda grinned. "True, true." With her arm still wrapped protectively around Ryuichi's waist, the blonde led her friend to where Tatsuha and K were.

"Hey," Amanda addressed K, though with a lot less coldness in her voice than before. "You still alive?"

K coughed. Amanda raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Listen, Ryuichi here saved your life, so you better thank him later," Amanda told a silent K with narrowed green eyes. "But if you don't release Shade now, I'll wrap this whip around your throat again, or better yet, give you an electric shock with one of its special functions, no matter what Ryuichi says."

Ryuichi could not help but flinch at Amanda's threat. The blonde placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, whispering reassuringly into the singer's ear. "It's alright, Ryu-chan. He'll listen."

K blinked at Amanda's words. He had almost forgotten he had Tatsuha still pinned to the floor. Slowly, the blond withdrew his sword from the black haired man's neck. The tall American got off him, and Tatsuha got up from the floor.

Amanda nodded in satisfaction when her friend was free. She retracted her whip, and K gave a sigh of relief.

The blonde turned to Tatsuha, green eyes full of concern. "Are you okay, Shade?"

Tatsuha nodded, stretching his arms. "Yeah. Just a little stiff."

Amanda smiled in relief. "Good." Tatsuha smiled back.

"K!" The two friends watched as Ryuichi broke free of Amanda's arm around his waist and ran to the tall blond. "Are you alright?"

K smiled comfortingly at the worried singer. "I'm alright, Ryuichi, thanks to you." He paused. "Thank you."

Ryuichi grinned brightly. "It's no problem, na no da!" The singer hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his arms around his friend, burying his face in his chest. "I missed you, K."

K gave a smile, not a smirk or a grin, but a real, genuine smile. He wrapped his long arms around Ryuichi, pulling the singer closer, resting his chin on brown locks. "I missed you too, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi smiled radiantly at K's words, snuggling further into K's chest.

Amanda gritted her teeth at the display of affection, resisting the urge to wrap her whip around K and hurl him away from Ryuichi.

Tatsuha glared at K, muttering to himself. "Why doesn't he hug me like that?"

"Jealous, Boss?" Tatsuha turned, and came face to face with an amusedly grinning Jeffrey.

"Immensely." The raven haired model growled.

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow at Tatsuha's admission, before giving a grin. "Awww, come on. You have to admit it's kind of sweet!"

"_What did you just say, Jeffrey?"_

Jeffrey flinched at Tatsuha's death glare. "Um, nothing!"

The red haired man turned to the less scary of the two, and winced as Amanda snarled with narrowed green eyes. _"What?"_

"Nothing!" The gunman backed away from the bristling blonde. Jeffrey sighed, running a hand through his red hair. He winced. "Geez, you two are scary!"

Tatsuha and Amanda turned slowly. _"Jeffrey."_

Jeffrey squeaked at the two lethal members of _Hellfire's _combined wrath. "Alright, I'll shut up now!"

* * *

"Eiri! Don't fall asleep! Eiri!"

Tohma sighed as he sat in the car, which was silent save for Shuichi's yells. The blond raised worried green eyes to the digital clock. "It's already been half an hour and he's not back yet..."

At the statement, Shuichi looked up from where he had been shaking Eiri to prevent him from falling asleep. Anxious violet orbs stared at Tohma. "What? Then we should go in to look for him! He might be in danger!"

Tohma's brows furrowed, "But he told us to stay in here because it might be dangerous."

"For once, I agree with the brat." A deep and smooth voice joined the conversation. Shuichi, Noriko and Tohma turned to stare at the blond in surprise.

Eiri sat up, staring at Tohma with narrowed golden eyes. "According to you, it's been half an hour. From what I've seen, that crazy American likes to do things quick and simple; shoot his target and retrieve the victim." The blond paused. "Since he isn't back yet he must be in some kind of trouble. Which also means our adversary is stronger than we first thought if he is able to beat that loony gunman."

Silence reigned for a moment, before Tohma spoke up. "But K's strong, really strong. If he wasn't able to beat his opponent we wouldn't stand a chance against him, especially if we're empty-handed!"

Eiri smirked. "Who says we're empty-handed?"

The others turned to him questioningly. The blond drew a gun out from one of his jacket pockets, eliciting gasps of surprise from Shuichi, Tohma and Noriko.

"Eiri! You brought your gun?"

"Yeah," Eiri nodded. "And I brought yours too. I knew that you were going to drag me on another stupid adventure when you screamed that Ryuichi was missing."

With those words, Eiri dug into his other jacket pocket and tossed another gun to a surprised Shuichi, who caught it. "Still remember how to use it, Shuichi?"

The pink haired singer grinned. "Yeah!"

Tohma's eyes were huge with surprise as he witnessed the scene happening before him. "Wh-What? When did you get a gun, Eiri?! And why does Shuichi have one too?"

Eiri smirked. "We bought them at one time when we were in America."

"But why...?"

"I wanted to get rid of my fear of them," Eiri stared at his brother in law with serious golden eyes. Tohma's eyes widened in realization, remembering the incident when Eiri had first used a gun. "The brat just decided to tag along, as usual."

Shuichi pouted. "Eiri, don't be mean!"

Solemn violet eyes stared at slight surprised golden ones. "You know I would never have let you do it alone."

Eiri blinked, before a genuine smile crossed his features. "I know." Shuichi replied with a relieved smile.

Tohma stared at the couple for a while, before he cleared his throat. "Forgive me for interrupting, but Eiri do you even know how to use the gun?"

Eiri scowled, "Don't underestimate me, Tohma."

Tohma and Noriko stared at him curiously as he winded down the window. Shuichi just smirked.

"See that bird over there?" Eiri pointed to a bird sitting in a tree about at least ten metres away. Tohma and Noriko nodded. "I'm going to shoot it. Watch."

Tohma opened his mouth in protest. "But that's crazy that bird's-"

"Shut up and watch, Tohma" Swallowing, Tohma complied.

The trio watched as Eiri pointed his gun at his target. His golden eyes narrowed in concentration as he took careful aim, before his hand pulled back the trigger swiftly.

Tohma and Noriko watched in amazement as the bullet hit its target and the bird on the tree wobbled a little before it fell off the branch and onto the ground, dead.

Shuichi grinned in amusement at their stupefied expressions. "Eiri's practically a professional sharpshooter! He's a dead shot!"

Eiri smirked at the astonished looks on their faces. "So? Still believe I'm not competent enough, Tohma?"

It took a moment for Tohma to regain use of his vocal cords. The blond coughed, before staring at Eiri with green eyes filled with admiration. "No Eiri, I believe you. That was amazing!" He paused, pondering over something. "Can Shuichi shoot that well too?"

"Of course not, how can the brat ever be as good as me?" Eiri smirked confidently.

Shuichi gave his husband a glare. "Eiri!"

Eiri chuckled, "Relax; you're not bad at all." He smirked, turning to Tohma. "He can handle a gun better than I could have ever expected. In fact, he's almost as good as me. Almost."

Tohma nodded, as Shuichi beamed and glomped Eiri happily at the unexpected compliment.

"Oh Eiri! You really think I'm that good?! I'm so happy!"

"Get off me brat! I said almost! ALMOST!"

"That's much, much better than zero talent! I love you Eiri!"

"...Hnn."

Tohma smiled at the sweet couple, before turning his attention to Noriko. "Did you bring your gun, Noriko?"

Shuichi looked up, from where he was nuzzling into Eiri's chest, in surprise. "What? Noriko-san has a gun!?"

Noriko winked. "Yup, and so does Tohma!"

Eiri raised an eyebrow at Tohma, who merely smiled. "All the three members of Nittle Grasper each have a gun."

"What?! Does that mean Ryuichi has one too?"

Tohma nodded to Shuichi. "Yes he does. In fact, he was the one who suggested the idea in the first place. K had taught him during his stay in America how to shoot, and well, he brought back guns for Noriko and I and taught us when he returned to Japan."

Tohma smiled at the memory. "We were skeptical at first, but he convinced us it was for our own safety, that the streets were full of, and I quote, 'bad people'." The blond chuckled. "He looked so concerned for our well being that we didn't have the heart to tell him that this was Tokyo, and not New York, where things were much safer."

Noriko giggled. "And it was so fun!" The purple haired keyboardist smiled. "Ryuichi teaching Tohma and I how to wield a gun was almost as fun as creating music for Nittle Grasper."

Noriko turned to Tohma with a grin. "Our Ryu-chan's quite the shooter, isn't he, Tohma?"

To Eiri's and Shuichi's surprise, Tohma grinned back. "Why yes he is, Noriko. I couldn't believe how good he was at first."

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "Is Ryuichi really that good?"

Tohma turned to smile at him, and Eiri started at the hint of mischievousness in his normally stern and serious brother in law's eyes. "You'd be surprised, Eiri. He's as good as you. Better, even."

The blond gave a snort of disbelief. "That five year old can shoot better than me? Impossible."

"Eiri! Ryuichi is not a five year old!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Eiiriii!!"

Noriko giggled at Eiri and Shuichi's antics and Tohma smiled. "Well, now that we've all established that we know how to use a gun, shall we get going?"

* * *

Shuichi giggled joyfully as he got out of the car after Eiri. "This is so fun! It's like we're secret agents or something!" He grinned, tossing his gun into the air. "Secret agents deporting to rescue our comrade K from the clutches of evil! Wow never thought I'd say that!"

"You're like a little kid." Eiri muttered. Shuichi just grinned.

The group made their way along the white fence surrounding the house. They walked up the pathway, and up to the slightly open door.

Tohma nodded to his companions. "I'll go in first."

They nodded their affirmation in return, and the blond gave a smile. Gun clutched tightly in his hand, he slowly pulled open the wooden door and stepped in, half expecting to find K tied up and gagged on a chair and Ryuichi's kidnapper sitting across from him and smirking evilly as he held a frightened Ryuichi captive.

Imagine his surprise when the scene that met him was one that was the complete opposite. Tohma was so shocked that his mouth dropped open in surprise, and he couldn't speak a single word.

At Tohma's silence, Shuichi poked his pink head in worriedly. He giggled when he caught sight of Tohma's open mouth and his wide eyes. "You look like a goldfish!"

When the blond made no move to reply, Shuichi turned his gaze curiously to Tohma's line of vision, and blinked, and blinked again. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming, but the scene in front of him stayed the same. Violet eyes closed and opened one more time.

Noriko and Eiri stared in confusion and curiousity as their companions stayed frozen at their spot at the door. Glancing at each other, they shrugged, before going up to tap Tohma and Shuichi on the shoulder.

"Tohma? What's wrong-" Noriko asked in concern, peering around the door. ".....eh?????!!"

"Hey what's wrong br-"Eiri's eyes widened as they took in the unexpected scene in front of them. "What the fuck?"

K was sitting on the couch, chatting animatedly with a giggling Ryuichi. Beside Ryuichi sat a beautiful blonde with green eyes. She was gritting her teeth in frustration, her hands clenching harshly on the leather beneath her. Occasionally, she would lean over to whisper something in Ryuichi's ear. The singer would then turn his attention over to her for a second, smiling and whispering something back before going back to his conversation with K, and the blonde would go back to glaring at K hard enough to burn, if the green fires in her eyes had been real.

A black haired man that somehow looked very familiar was resting on the spot beside the blonde. He too, was gritting his teeth and glaring daggers of darkness at the smiling and laughing K. Beside him sat K's friend Jeffrey, who looked scared out of his wits. Once in a while, he would turn to the raven haired man beside him and whisper something, only to receive a deadly glare in return. The poor gunman would then return to cowering in the couch.

At Noriko's exclamation and Eiri's vulgar expression of disbelief, Ryuichi turned his eyes to the doorway. Blue eyes widened and a wide smile took over the singer's face before K blinked and he was gone.

"TOHMA!" Tohma squeaked slightly in surprise as his band mate tackled him to the floor, wrapping thin arms around his neck. "I MISSED YOU, NA NO DA!"

Tohma blinked almost helplessly at the sudden assault, before the blond regained his senses at the sight of Ryuichi's concerned expression. "Tohma? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ryuichi. I'm just a little surprised, that's all." Tohma smiled reassuringly as he hugged the brunette singer in return. "I missed you too."

Ryuichi grinned brightly. "Really? Yay! Toh-chan missed Ryu-chan, na no da!"

Tohma laughed as Ryuichi nestled his face in his neck, purring happily. "Yes, Ryu-chan. Toh-chan missed you very much." He paused. "Noriko's here too."

"REALLY? NORI-CHAN!" Tohma allowed himself a small grin as Ryuichi got off him and tackled the female of their group, sending her to the floor. "I MISSED YOU TOO, NA NO DA!"

Noriko grinned happily as Ryuichi snuggled into her chest. She wrapped her slender arms around the brunette singer. "Nori-chan missed Ryu-chan too!" Giggling, the purple haired woman pulled out a certain pink rabbit with a red bowtie. "And so did Kumagoro!"

At the magical word, Ryuichi removed his face from his friend's bosom. Blue eyes widened in surprise and happiness at the sight of their owner's favourite toy.

"KUMAGORO!" Ryuichi exclaimed, hugging his favourite toy to his chest in contentment. The singer smiled happily, placing kisses all over its soft pink fur. "I missed you so much!"

"Kuma-chan missed Ryu-chan too!" Blue eyes blinked at the squeaky voice, before they turned their gaze to a smiling Shuichi. "SHU-CHAN!"

Shuichi grinned as it was his turn to get glomped by Ryuichi. "I'm sorry Shu-chan! Ryu-chan didn't see you!" The singer looked at him with pleading blue eyes. "Forgive me?"

The pink haired singer smiled brightly. "Of course! Shu-chan will always forgive Ryu-chan!"

Ryuichi smiled radiantly back. "Thank you Shu-chan!"

"Oh will you girls hurry up? I'm wasting away here."

Ryuichi blinked at the sarcastic voice. Blue eyes turned their line of sight to an annoyed Eiri. Though if one looked very closely, they would be able to see a tiny, miniscule smile on his lips. "YUKI-SAN!"

Eiri grimaced as Ryuichi leapt forward to tackle him. He held out a firm hand. "No, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi pouted at the decline, huge blue eyes filled with tears. "B-But..."

Eiri sighed at the sight of those puppy eyes which reminded him of his pink haired husband. Narrowed golden battled tearful blue, before the blond novelist scowled, slowly and reluctantly spreading his arms, rolling his eyes. "Oh alright, you cry baby. Hurry up and make it a quick one."

At the gruff invitation, the tears in Ryuichi's eyes vanished. Eiri twitched. _"He was pretending all along!?"_

Ryuichi dove into Eiri's open arms, hugging him tightly and looking up at the irritated blond with a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Yuki-san!"

Eiri sighed, the irritation he felt lessening considerably at Ryuichi's blinding smile. _"I can't believe I'm doing this."_ Awkwardly, Eiri brought his arms to rest against Ryuichi's back, pulling the singer in for a quick, short, hug. _"I've gone soft."_

"Yeah whatever. Now hurry up and let go of me."

Ryuichi beamed, hugging Eiri one last time before removing himself from the blond's arms.

All of a sudden, Ryuichi turned to a certain surprised pink haired singer, grinning deviously. "Pay up, Shu-chan."

Shuichi scowled. "I can't believe he actually let you hug him! And he even hugged you back too!"

Ryuichi merely grinned. "I told you I could convince him, didn't I?"

Shuichi pouted. "Eiri never hugs _me_, and I'm _married _to him!"

"Too bad," The grin seemed to be permanent on Ryuichi's face. The singer held out a hand, trilling in a sing-song voice. "You've got to fulfil the conditions of our bet, Shu-chan!"

The pink haired vocalist glowered, but dug into his pockets and pulled out two boxes of _Strawberry Pokey. _"Here, you sly devil."

Ryuichi smirked, winking one blue eye playfully. "Aren't I?"

The brunette reached out hands to eagerly snatch the boxes of _Strawberry Pokey_ away from the pouting Shuichi, grinning brightly.

"It's your fault for not sharing anyway, Shu-chan!"

"That's because you practically devour them! Anyway you can always go out to buy them yourself!"

"But that's not as fun as sharing with Shu-chan, na no da!"

Eiri could only stare, stunned, as he listened to the two petite singers' conversation. The blond twitched, gritting his teeth. _"I was tricked by that idiot!?"_

"Eiri? Are you alright?" Tohma asked, staring in concern at the fuming novelist.

Eiri growled in reply. Tohma flinched. "Eiri...?"

Shuichi and Ryuichi were still locked in their argument when the former noticed Eiri stalking up to Ryuichi. His eyes widened at the murderous gleam in Eiri's golden eyes.

"Um, Ryuichi? I think you better run."

Ryuichi blinked at the frightened look in Shuichi's eyes. He was about to ask why when the sound of a furious growl reached his ears.

The singer turned around apprehensively, flinching at the sight of the enraged blond novelist.

Ryuichi smiled weakly. "Yes, Yuki-san...?"

"_I am going to kill you."_

Ryuichi let out a yelp of surprise as Eiri swung his fist forward. The singer gasped as the blow collided with his stomach and sent him whizzing through the doorway. The vocalisti crash-landed into the wall at the opposite end of the room, sending debris flying.

"RYUICHI!"

"RYU-CHAN!"

Ryuichi could hear several voices call out, but was too disoriented to notice. His back ached badly, and he winced as he caught sight of blood flowing from a wound in his shoulder. The singer groaned. _"Fuck that hurt..."_

"EIRI, NO!"

Dazedly, Ryuichi brought blue eyes to rest on the furious blond novelist on the other side of the room, who was aiming a gun at him with narrowed golden eyes. The singer's eyes widened. _"Oh shit."_

The injured vocalist barely managed to move out of the way of the bullet. Ryuichi grimaced as pain shot through his shoulder. Shakily, the singer stood up, and cried out as a bullet lodged itself in his knee.

"_Alright, that's it." _Furious, Ryuichi retrieved Jeffrey's gun from his pocket. Narrowing blue eyes, the singer aimed for a second before pulling back the trigger. The bullet hit its target and Eiri clutched his left shoulder in pain. Ryuichi fired another shot and the blond novelist gritted his teeth, falling down on his injured knee.

"EIRI!"

Smirking in satisfaction, Ryuichi was about to administer another shot when the gun was wrenched from his hands. The singer looked up in surprise, and was met with the sight of a certain man with black hair. He held Jeffrey's gun and his sword in his hands.

Ryuichi glared angrily with narrowed blue eyes. "What do you think you are doing, imposter?"

Tatsuha smirked, but there was hurt in his eyes. "I guess you really weren't joking when you said you have very good aim."

"What, did you think-" Ryuichi was cut off by a loud bang. The singer's eyes widened. "Shit."

But the raven haired man had already whirled around, and the singer watched in amazement as Tatsuha easily deflected the bullet off his blade.

Tatsuha smirked at Eiri. "I didn't know you had a gun, brother."

Eiri narrowed golden eyes. "Brother?"

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow at Eiri's response. He switched to Japanese. "Don't you recognise your own brother, _Aniki?"_

Eiri blinked as he took in the black haired man's features. Golden eyes widened at their similarity compared to his own. "Tatsuha!?"

Tatsuha smirked. "I thought you would never realize."

"What are you doing here, Tatsuha?" Eiri asked as he walked towards Tatsuha, his anger at Ryuichi momentarily forgotten.

"I _live_ here, Aniki_."_

"What?!"

The black haired man gave a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He looked around at all the other shocked and confused occupants of the room. "Well, I suppose I better explain things..."

Tatsuha tossed the gun in his hand to Jeffrey, who caught it deftly. He turned to Tohma, Shuichi and Noriko, who were still frozen at the doorway.

"Why don't you three come in and sit down?"


	11. Chapter 10: Revelations

_Author's Note_

_**To RiverSakina : **Thank you very much for reviewing to clear your doubts, I really appreciate it. You have brought up a valid point; I pondered for quite a long time on your question. The reason I referred to Ryuichi as a girl and had Tatsuha use the female pronoun in because I thought it was the logical thing to do. I mean, Ryuichi, is a girl for this story, except in the first two chapters. No one objected to it too, so I thought it was fine. I myself did not really care whether to call Ryuichi he or she, I was more interested in the developing of the story._

_However, now that you have brought that up, you have got me thinking. But firstly, could you perhaps elaborate a little more? Your question is clear, but I'm afraid it is not so specific. I do not know if you mean you are puzzled by why I have Tatsuha think of Ryuichi as a girl, or the narrative voice referring to Ryuichi as a girl;_ _**'Ryuichi stared with her blue eyes...','Amanda nudged the other girl'**,etc._

_But if its the former, my answer will be the same; I thought it was the logical thing to do and no one objected to it. However, I didn't realize that it would affect how Tatsuha would view Ryuichi. I was thinking something along the lines of_ **'Tatsuha loves Ryuichi no matter what so he doesn't mind that she's a girl now. Also, he has not seen his idol face to face for five years, and this may add to him accepting Ryuichi into his life, no matter the circumstances. This may lead to him subconsciously referring to Ryuichi as she, since Ryuichi is Ryuichi no matter what his gender, and Tatsuha is just glad to have Ryuichi back in his life. Ryuichi's physical appearance as a girl may add to Tatsuha's perception of her as well.'** _I did not know Tatsuha referring to Ryuichi as 'she' may lead to people thinking that Tatsuha is being insensitive towards Ryuichi's feelings. And for that, I'm sorry._

_However, if its the latter, I will also say its the logical thing to do; Ryuichi's a girl, so I refer to the singer with the female pronoun. It was sort of an automatic reaction; I haven't read any gravitation gender bender stories, since I was not able to find one. However, I have read a fanfiction, where Kanda Yuu turns into a girl, and remembered that Kanda was referred to as 'she' when his gender was changed, even though he was unwilling.__ I even went to check the particular fanfiction just now. The author did not change her style of referring to Kanda. Thus that was why I thought it was alright for me to refer to Ryuichi as 'she'._

_Although, I recently also went to check another gender bender story I had read before; a Yu Yu Hakusho fanfiction with Kurama being forcibly turned into a girl and sent to another world where Karasu takes an interest in her. I also went to check that fanfiction just now, and realized that the narrative voice refers to Kurama as he when it is in his point of view; **'He turned to leave, the door left unguarded', **and it refers to Kurama as she when it is in Karasu's point of view; **'He placed his hand on the fox's cheek and noticed she was curiously warm then relocated it to the vixen's forehead'.** _

_I myself have also used this method as well, in the previous chapter; where Tohma, Shuichi, Noriko and Eiri were met with the sight of Ryuichi talking with K and Tatsuha and Amanda glaring at K while Jeffrey was scared to death. You might have noticed that I referred to Ryuichi as he in the first paragraph of the description, when Amanda attempted to get Ryuichi's attention. This is because I thought that since it was clearly from Eiri, Shuichi, Tohma and Noriko's point of view, they would see Ryuichi as a he. I referred to Ryuichi as 'she' after that scene as it was no longer in Shuichi, Noriko, Tohma and Eiri's direct point of view; but the overall view of the story._

_Thus, if you unsatisfied with the narrative voice referring to Ryuichi as 'she',(I have mostly changed Tatsuha's thoughts I think, and will refer to Ryuichi as he from now on, whether its Jeffrey, Amanda or Tatsuha speaking, since Ryuichi looks like a guy again, now that she/he has binded her/his chest, and also to prevent Tohma and the rest from finding out the truth.) you just have to tell me which style you would like me to use to refer to Ryuichi; 'he' all the way, or 'he' when its in Ryuichi's, Tatsuha's, and all the other people who think of Ryuichi as a guy, point of view and 'she' when its the rest, like maybe Jeffrey and Amanda, so it would be something like '**Tatsuha stared at Ryuichi, who was glaring at him with his narrowed blue eyes' and 'Jeffrey stared at Ryuichi, who was glaring at him with her narrowed blue eyes', **so that whether Ryuichi is referred to as a he or she would depend on who is currently viewing Ryuichi. I don't mind really; to me, Ryuichi is just Ryuichi._

_That's all. Once again, thank you very much for your intelligent question, and I hope that I have sufficiently cleared all of your doubts. I apologize for the explanation being so long; but it was the only way I felt I would be able to share with you my thoughts; I am not really one for simple explanations, if you get what I mean. I guess you could say I am quite a complicated person. Or maybe I just think too much. Haha._

_**To blueberry : **Hello again, and I apologize for replying your review so late. As you can see, I had to clear **RiverSakina's** doubts, so I would not be able to write with my mind at ease. Haha. I too love how Eiri refers to Ryu as a five year old, it just seems so characteristic and cynical of him! _

_Haha. Yeah, I planned to create that kind of effect; something sort of anti climatic, you know? I didn't want it to be cliche like, '"Oh my god K, we thought you were in danger and you're hugging Ryuichi? And why aren't you fighting the enemy!?"; cue expressions of disbelief and shock.' I wanted there to be something to really make their jaws drop and yet funny and humourous at the same time. I'm glad I succeeded! Haha, guess all the preparation and showing off shooting skills in the car were all for naught huh? Oh well, I had to give them a logical reason to be brave enough to enter the 'enemy's base'. At least all of them got to look cool right? Oh and you now know Ryuichi is a pro at shooting! Yay for cool sharpshooter Ryu with narrowed sexy blue eyes and tousled brown hair~!_

_Gold, huh? Haha, I like the way you phrased it. Well, Tohma and co. find out this chapter. I tried to make it as realistic and exciting as possible at the same time, so I truely hope you will enjoy it~oh and I apologize for it being so late; I edited it but lost the data: when I updated the document, there was this notice that I was not logged into my account. As a result, I lost all my few hours of hard work. I was so shocked I could only stare blankly at the orange words on the screen for half a minute. It was so fucking frustrating; I felt like banging my head on the table or smashing the computer screen, or doing something really drastic. I only lost the edited version though, so I guess that was one good thing. I had to spend much time to edit it again...-.-" You will understand why when you read the Author's Note at the end of this chapter._

_But finally, I have managed to get it up. So onward with the story! Oh and I cannot help but thank you again for your constant reviews~you were my second inspiration to write; the first was myself and my imagination. Haha. So thank you so much!_

_**To sweetsally : **Welcome back to the story~haha it's alright, I mean, this story isn't going to be going anywhere, now that I know people like to read it. Though I must admit I did wonder why you didn't review. Haha. Oh and thank you for keeping your promise~! I appreciate it ^.^! It's nice to see my 11 reviews jump to 13 reviews. Haha._

_Yeah, Amanda is a guy; though its more complicated than that. Nice twist, huh? She was getting a little too Mary-Sueish for my tastes, anyway. You'll see later. Xavier is one of my favourite characters; I just love him! And I don't even know why. Haha. Maybe it's because he and Amanda are the characters which resemble some traits of my own personality the most, out of all my OCs; Jeffrey, Dean, Mirai, Amanda/Xavier, Kate, Lionel Dream, Bianca. Though I'm sometimes cool and calm like Lionel too, and laidback and relaxed like Jeff, or even teasing like Kate, or slightly bitchy like Bianca. It depends on my mood really. Oh and of course K's entrance was dramatic! K wouldn't be K if he entered houses the normal way =x. And that's one of the reasons why he rocks~!_

_Yeah, Tatsuha finally meets his dear older brother, and what a meeting it was! Of course I couldn't have it be a normal meeting, where Eiri goes speechless at the sight of Tatsuha. I had to make it more dramatic somehow, and have them meet with their weapons. Hahaha. And it definitely had to involve Ryuichi in some way, because I just love Ryuichi! And it gave Ryuichi a chance to look cool too~Haha. I'm joking; truth is I figured Eiri would be furious at Ryuichi's trick and would do something to hurt Ryuichi badly. Ryuichi's not a wuss and so I had him/her fight back, and to showcase the singer's skill at shooting, I had Ryuichi mostly beat Eiri. Tatsuha just decided to intervene, because I didn't think he would just sit there like a dumb idiot and watch the two people he loved fight each other. He went to Ryuichi because, well, he can't go to Eiri; his brother doesn't know who he is. And so things spiralled on from there..._

_Well, you will find out in this chapter. But think logically; do you think Eiri would allow his long lost brother to leap away again without a fight? Haha. He's nowhere near that kind of person. I think, Eiri, like Shuichi, fights for what he believes in, just that he does it in an uncaring, cold manner and almost callous manner, with no regard for the other party's feelings. Because that's just Eiri for you~!_

_I am a wonderful writer...? *blinks* Wow, I'm flattered! It's the first time anyone has ever given me such a generous praise! Thank you for the compliment~! But I think you yourself are quite a good writer as well; I read your Mikan and Natsume fic a little, as I could not imagine why you would say I'm tonnes better than you. There are many more writers who are much, much better than me out there. Your story isn't bad. You just tend to rush and ramble a little. For example, **'And before I could control it I felt a tear on my cheek and to avoid being further embarrassed I just ran out of the hospital wing till I reached my favorite resting place, the Sakura tree.' **could perhaps be changed to **'Before I could control it, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. To avoid being embarrassed, I fled the hospital wing. I did not stop until I reached my favorite resting place, the Sakura tree.' **It sounds more, um, controlled, yeah? Please bear in mind I'm not critisizing you or anything; I'm trying to encourage and help you, since I feel grateful that you reviewed my story with encouraging words, are are even planning to review for every chapter, and I saw the opportunity to do something to help you, in return. So please don't misunderstand._

_Anyway, I will read your fanfictions and review them sometime in the future, as I am currently leading quite a busy life. Thank you once again for reviewing; you truly are sweet, like your penname suggests. Haha. Well, enough of my rambling; on with the story! I hope you will enjoy the chapter!_

**Warnings: Gender bender, slight AU, crossdressing(?), use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, which, along with its characters, belongs to Maki Murakami. Though, I do own Jeffrey, Bianca, Amanda, Lionel Dream, Kate, Mirai and Dean.**

**Notes for this chapter: Kind of weird ending? It will all be explained in the next chapter, I promise. Oh and no line breaks in this chapter (except for the one directly below and the other one at the end of the chapter before the Author's Note); everyone's in the same place, so there isn't really a need for any. I hope you don't mind.**

* * *

Tatsuha, Ryuichi, Eiri, Shuichi, Tohma, Noriko, K, Jeffrey and Amanda were all gathered in Tatsuha's living room. Tohma, Noriko, Eiri, Shuichi and K were sitting on one couch and Tatsuha, Ryuichi, Amanda and Jeffrey were seated on the other. Amanda was bandaging Ryuichi's injured shoulder and tending to the singer's knee, as Ryuichi gave the blonde a grateful smile, which she returned. Shuichi sighed, wishing he could do the same with Eiri, who had brushed away his injuries, labelling them as minor and not worth caring. Still, the pink haired singer was determined to oversee his husband's full recovery.

The black haired Boss of _Hellfire _rested his chin on his calloused hands, obsidian eyes staring at the people on the other couch in the room. "To start things off, we're doing this in English." He spoke in Japanese. "Who does not understand and not know how to speak English?"

Shuichi raised his hand excitedly. "I don't!"

"Me too!" Noriko followed Shuichi. "I only know a few words Ryu-chan and Tohma taught me."

Tatsuha nodded with understanding. He turned to Tohma and Eiri. "I assume you two know how to speak and understand English?"

Eiri scowled, shreds of incredulity in his golden eyes. "I've lived in New York before, Tatsuha."

"My position as the Boss of NG Productions requires me to possess knowledge of the international language." Tohma explained, green eyes warily eying Tatsuha with curiosity and puzzlement.

"Alright," Tatsuha then turned to Jeffrey. "Do you have Decoders with you, Jeff?"

The red haired man nodded, searching in his jacket for a while before big hands pulled out two small, silver and metal objects. He handed the devices to Tatsuha. "Here, Boss."

"Thanks Jeff." Tatsuha smiled with appreciation at the red haired man before passing the devices over to Noriko and Shuichi. "Here."

Shuichi eyed the device in his hands skeptically. It looked like the regular microphone he hung from his ear during rehearsal, though it seemed to be thicker in width. There was a tiny yellow button on it. Driven by curiosity, Shuichi pushed it.

The pink haired singer almost fell off the couch in surprise when there was a small whirring sound and a slit opened in the curved length of the device as a small silver screen rose out of it. The screen blinked to life and Shuichi gasped at the light green letters against the dark green digital background, before grinning brightly.

"THIS IS SO COOL!"

Tatsuha smiled in amusement at Shuichi's excitement. "The words are in English right now, I'm afraid. But you just have to speak in whatever language you want them to be in and they'll change."

Shuichi blinked for a moment, before smiling lovingly. "I love Eiri!"

At Shuichi's words, Eiri twitched. But if one examined closely, one would be able to see a slight smile on his lips.

Shuichi watched as the screen went blank for a moment, before the green words appeared again, this time in Japanese.

"The device works by contact with the screen." Tatsuha informed helpfully.

"_Let's see...Language Decoded..."_ Shuichi thought, scanning down the list of kanji in green with the little arrows. It was like scrolling down a screen in a mini computer. He used a finger to select the kanji with the same definition as 'English'.

At the contact, there was a small clicking sound before the screen blacked out. Presuming he was done, Shuichi pressed the yellow button on the device, and watched as the small silver screen lowered itself into the slit, before the gap closed.

"Put the device in your ear." Tatsuha ordered and Shuichi complied.

"So what do I do now?" The pink haired singer spoke to Tatsuha, and gasped in surprise as the words came out in English.

Tatsuha gave a small smirk. "Now all your words will be automatically translated to English, and all words spoken by other people will be immediately translated to the language you spoke to the device just now, once they reach your ears."

Shuichi was silent for a moment, before he grinned wide enough to split his face in two. "That is so cool! Where did you get such a cool device, Tatsuha?!"

Tatsuha grinned, dark eyes filled with mischief. "Why, I made it myself."

Shuichi's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Really!?"

Tatsuha laughed at Shuichi's expression of disbelief. Dark eyes sparkled with amusement. "Of course not, I'm not an inventor," he turned to his best friend. "Jeffrey here came up with the idea."

Shuichi turned violet eyes full of admiration to the red haired gunman. "You're awesome for making such a cool device, Jeffrey-san! I bow down to you!"

Jeffrey blinked in bewilderment as the pink haired singer bowed his head repeatedly. He turned to Tatsuha curiously. "Is he always like this?"

Tatsuha merely grinned. "You haven't seen the worst of it yet."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Shuichi glared at an amused Tatsuha.

Tatsuha just grinned. He then turned his attention to Noriko. "I assume you know how to use the device now, Noriko-san?"

Noriko nodded. The purple haired woman then frowned. "You sound so formal, Tatsuha-kun! Almost like Tohma!" She made a face, lips curling into an unhappy scowl. "Right, Ryu-chan?!"

Tohma twitched at the mention of his name. Ryuichi looked up in surprise when Noriko addressed him. "Eh? Yeah I guess."

Noriko stared at Ryuichi, brown eyes full of concern. "What's wrong Ryu-chan? You seem a little dazed."

Ryuichi shook his head, giving his band mate a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Nori-chan." The singer pretended not to notice the surreptitious glance from the black haired man beside him.

Noriko blinked, brown eyes swirling with worry. The keyboardist chewed on her lip. "Well, if you say so..." _"Ryu-chan will tell me whatever's bothering him when he's ready."_

The purple haired woman then proceeded to operate the device in her hand as she had seen Shuichi do. At the sight of the foreign letters, she declared. "Nori-chan, Ryu-chan and Toh-chan; best friends forever!" The three members of Nittle Grasper shared bright smiles with each other, their hearts beating in unison.

When the letters on the screen changed to kanji, the keyboardist then scrolled down and selected the kanji for English. The screen went blank, and Noriko pressed the yellow button to close the device, before placing it in her ear.

"I'm done!" Noriko grinned at Tatsuha, slightly surprised when her words came out in prefect English.

"Good." Tatsuha smiled. "We'll be able to finally start this discussion then."

The raven haired man looked around, black eyes roaming across the occupants of the room. "So, who wants to go first?"

"I want to know why the hell you are here in this house which you claim to _live_ in." Eiri narrowed golden eyes, anger steadily building up in them. Gritting his teeth, the blond novelist growled, clenching a trembling fist. His voice increased in volume, frustration and disbelief lacing themselves into his tone. "You've been missing for five years, Tatsuha. _Five years._ And when we finally find you you're here in this house which belongs to the _fucking enemy_!?"

"It's a long story-"

"Don't give me that crap! Now tell-"

"Simple," a new, deep voice joined the conversation unexpectedly. Everyone turned to look at the quivering, bandaged blue eyed singer. Ryuichi glared, a maelstrom of emotions raging in azure eyes. Fingernails buried themselves into smooth skin. "That's because he's the _fucking enemy_ himself."

Eiri's golden eyes widened at Ryuichi's words. He turned to his brother, his tone one of utter disbelief. "_You're_ the one who kidnapped Ryuichi?"

Tatsuha nodded. Apathetic obsidian met unbelieving golden. The voice that escaped his mouth was almost emotionless. "That's right. I'm the current Boss of _Hellfire,_ Eiri."

"How is that even fucking possible?!"

"It is fully possible, Eiri," A smooth, calm voice joined the conversation. Its tone was casual and detached, as if the owner were merely talking about the weather. "You saw how he deflected your bullet with his sword. Only someone highly skilled and with lightning fast reflexes could execute such a move."

Eiri lapsed into a deep silence. The blond lowered his head, strands of gold falling to cover abnormal golden eyes, hiding the whirlpool of emotions floundering about for control in them. Sharp fingernails dug harshly into the couch, inscribing long columns of scratches into the soft leather. Shuichi's heart constricted at the sight of his husband's shaking form. The pink haired singer reached out a small hand to touch Eiri's broad shoulder. "Eiri?"

"What, brat?"

Shuichi flinched at Eiri's irritated tone. The pink haired singer extended his hand. Fingers curled around the novelist's quavering fist, squeezing it reasurringly. Violet eyes rose to meet hidden golden eyes. Sincerity graced Shuichi's voice. "I'm still here for you, Eiri."

The blond did not reply. Golden eyes still shaded, Eiri released his punishing grip on the soft leather, slowly bringing a stiff arm to wrap around Shuichi. The pink haired singer smiled as Eiri pulled him against him none too gently. He laid his head against his husband's shoulder, resting against him in contentment. The singer knew in his heart that this was Eiri's way of saying _"Thank you'_, and it was more than enough for Shuichi.

Tohma smiled gladly at the couple, before turning to Tatsuha with a menacing smile. Emerald pierced obsidian mercilessly. An aloof voice emerged from the blond's mouth. "So, why did you kidnap Ryuichi, Tatsuha?"

Tohma's eyes were emerald glaciers, contrasting greatly with his breezy, pleasant tone. Tatsuha, who had been watching Eiri and Shuichi with guilt in his heart, turned his attention to his brother-in-law. He resisted the urge to flinch. _"He's just as scary as ever..."_

"...I wanted him."

Tohma raised a slender eyebrow, narrowing icy green eyes. "That's it? You kidnapped Ryuichi just because you _wanted_ him? I see that despite your new position you're still as selfishand _immature_ as always, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha felt anger boil up in him like hot soup in a bubbling cauldron. Black eyes full of fury challenged wintry green eyes. A frustrated growl escaped thin lips. "I was drunk, okay?! I was drunk and lonely and depressed and thinking of Ryuichi-"

The black haired man was cut off as Jeffrey's hand landed on his shoulder. Smooth and logical words reached his ears. "Calm down, Shade. You're not making things any better."

"_Jeffrey's right," _Tatsuha sighed, before taking a deep breath. Black eyes narrowed with determination. _"I'm no longer the kid I was back then. I'm an adult now, and the Boss of a powerful organization. I've gotten this far to get people to respect me. I will **not** let Seguchi get under my skin."_

"I was drunk at that time, and was missing Ryuichi," Tatsuha explained, boldly meeting Tohma's unforgiving eyes. "Jeffrey came by at that exact moment, and I thought of how he was a professional in kidnapping people, and thought he could get Ryuichi for me. So I assigned him a mission to make Ryuichi mine."

"Jeffrey takes his missions very seriously. He obeyed my order and went to kidnap Ryuichi and...brought him to my house. And, well, things just spiralled on from there."

"...I see," Tohma said after a while. Doubtful emerald green met indifferent obsidian black. "Though I sense there is something else you are not telling me."

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow, entirely unaffected by the suspicion in Tohma's eyes. "And what would that be?"

Tohma's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "...I don't know." He turned to Ryuichi. "Did Tatsuha do anything to you, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi smiled albeit nervously. "Don't worry Tohma! He was quite a good host, na no da!"

Tohma would have let the issue go, had he not caught sight of the doubt and slight fear in Ryuichi's eyes. Green eyes narrowed. "Do not lie to me, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi sighed, fixing serious blue eyes on Tohma. "I am not lying to you, Tohma."

"Is that so? Why did you call him the _fucking enemy_ then, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi hesitated for a second, staring with blank blue eyes, their destination seemingly somewhere else. The singer twisted lips from a slight frown to a bright smile. Fingernails fought to pierce soft leather. "That's because he was the enemy to Yuki-san then, na no da!"

"...I _will_ find out the truth, Ryuichi."

With those words, the blond turned his attention back to Tatsuha. Green icicles drilled into daring black orbs. "Did you do anything to Ryuichi that he _didn't_ want?"

Tatsuha merely smiled, undaunted. The black haired man waved a casual hand dismissively, his tone one of nonchalance. "Suspicious as always, aren't you Seguchi? Relax; I merely took him out to dinner and to my photo shoot."

"Your _photo shoot?"_

"Yeah," Tatsuha smirked proudly, stretching an arm behind his head as if to pose. "I'm a model, don't you know?"

"...I thought you were the boss of _Hellfire."_

"Like I told Ryuichi, I'm a model by day and I work as the Boss of _Hellfire_ at anytime I want, since I _am_ the _Boss _and all." Tatsuha smirked with the confidence possessed by one of his occupation. _"The same rank as you, Seguchi."_

Tohma smiled with hidden malice. "Very well, I shall believe you for now," he paused. "So since we are now here to retrieve Ryuichi, will you let him go or are there some _conditions_ we will need to fulfil?"

Tatsuha shrugged. "You may take him, I was planning to send him back to Japan anyway," he looked at his watch. "In fact, he was going to leave on the plane at 12PM, but since a _certain someone_ decided to barge in," the black haired man directed a glare at K, who merely raised an eyebrow in return. "He has just missed his flight, which took off about one and a half hour ago."

K smirked, blue eyes shimmering in amusement. "And here I thought you enjoyed our duel, Shade. Or should I call you Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha smiled, black eyes a darker hue than usual. "Call me whatever you like. And yes, I did enjoy our duel, K." _"I just didn't enjoy how close you were to Ryuichi."_

K grinned disarmingly. "Good, because I enjoyed it tremendously! You're a very worthy opponent, Shade, though I did win in the end."

Tatsuha scowled, frustration tinting his dark eyes. "I would have won if Ryuichi had not threatened to shoot me if I so much as moved another inch of my blade."

"What? What are you guys talking about? What duel?" Shuichi interjected into the conversation, violet eyes wide with interest. "And why would Ryuichi want to shoot you, Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha turned to the inquisitive violet eyed singer. "K and I were having a duel with swords before you guys arrived," he held up his sword. "I had K pinned on the ground when Ryuichi entered the room and threatened to shoot me with a gun if I so much as moved another inch of my blade against K's throat."

Shuichi's violet eyes widened even more at Tatsuha's tale. "What? He did?!" He turned to the silent brunette singer. "How could you threaten Tatsuha's life, Ryu-chan?!"

Ryuichi pouted. "Well, he was threatening K's life, na no da! And K is my friend!"

Shuichi blinked in confusion. "But I thought Tatsuha was your friend too?"

Ryuichi smiled uneasily. He bit swollen lips, fingers still holding onto their brutal grip on the couch, azure eyes less bright than usual. "I've known K for a longer time, na no da."

"Oh..."

Meanwhile, K grinned. "True, but the reason you managed to pin me down in the first place is because I was distracted when Ryuichi entered the room." He smirked with conviction. "So technically I'm still the winner."

Tatsuha frowned, contemplating this new piece of information. "Not really. Since we were both distracted by Ryuichi that makes it a draw, doesn't it?" He concluded.

"True. Care for another duel to determine the winner?"

"I would love to, but I don't think this is the right time or place."

"If you guys are done chit chatting, then can we leave this damned place already?"

Tatsuha raised a black eyebrow at the annoyed Eiri. "Really brother, I thought you would have been happier to see me." He smirked confidently. "Or are you jealous that I'm stronger than you now?"

Eiri growled, golden eyes once again strong and fierce. "I don't give a damn about how strong you are as long as you come back to Japan with me."

Tatsuha narrowed his eyes. Obsidian darkened into charcoal at the memory of his past. "Sorry, but there's no way I'm going back to that hellhole."

"The old man's dead."

"...Oh. Who took over the temple then?"

"One of our relatives, I can't remember which." Eiri replied. He paused, before adding. "Mika misses you too."

Tatsuha sighed as the mention of his sister sent a image of an anxious Mika into his mind. Guilt frayed his heart strings. "Fine, but I'm only staying for a few days, a week, at most. I have a life here in America, and an organization to run."

Eiri nodded, golden eyes dark with hints of threats. "Alright. And you are going to tell me and Mika all about why you disappeared five years ago."

Tatsuha nodded, a little afraid of the warnings of menace in his brother's eyes. The raven haired man turned to Jeffrey. "Well Jeff, you heard Eiri. I'm going back to Japan for a few days so could you-"

"I'm coming along too."

Tatsuha blinked at the unexpected comment. "What?"

Jeffrey smiled, gold eyes unusually soft. "I said I'm coming along too. I've been with you on most of your adventures and I'm not going to miss this one."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. He stared sternly and disbelievingly at his second-in-command. "It's not an adventure, Jeffrey. I'm just going back mostly to visit my sister, whom I haven't seen in five years."

Jeffrey merely grinned. "Well, it's an adventure to me!" He smiled persuadingly. "Besides, the last few days have been pretty hectic. It's time for us to take a break, yeah?"

Tatsuha frowned, the lines on his forehead creasing in worry. "But who's going to manage _Hellfire _then?"

Jeffrey shrugged. "Is that what you're worried about? Don't worry Shade, things have been pretty mellow lately. Dean can handle _Hellfire_ temporarily while we're both away."

Tatsuha thought for a moment, before he smiled. "Well then I suppose it's alright."

Jeffrey grinned with a touch of happiness. "Great! It's decided then!"

"Hey Shade, if Jeffrey's going with you to Japan I'm coming along too." Amanda piped up, having completely finished with taking care of Ryuichi's wounds.

Tatsuha blinked curiously. "Why would you want to come with us to Japan?"

Amanda pondered this for a moment, before grinning brightly. "Well, maybe it's because I can't bear to leave my Ryu!"

Hearing this, Noriko narrowed brown eyes at the other girl. "Who are you to Ryu-chan?!"

Amanda smirked deviously, unaffected by the hostility in Noriko's brown eyes. The blonde met the other girl's eyes seriously. "He's my boyfriend."

"WHAT!?" Noriko shrieked and Tohma exclaimed. Everyone else's eyes turned to the blonde in surprise.

"Ryu-chan, when did you get a girlfriend!?"

"I would say great job Ryuichi, but why did it have to be her?!"

"Does this mean I failed my mission...?"

"I didn't know a five year old could have a girlfriend."

"How dare you, Amanda?! Ryuichi is _mine!"_

Ryuichi's eyes widened at Amanda's galvanizing words. The singer flushed a deep red. "AMANDA!"

Amanda laughed at Ryuichi's embarrassed state. "I was just kidding!" She smirked at Ryuichi's red face. "I couldn't resist Ryu-chan; you're adorable when you blush!"

At the comment, Ryuichi blushed harder. "Amanda!"

The blonde giggled like a schoolgirl. "You're so cute, Ryu-chan!" Ryuichi squeaked as the blonde crushed the singer to her chest. Amanda grinned flirtatiously. Amused emerald met horrified sapphire. "What do you say to a round in the bedroom?"

"What?!" Ryuichi did not think his face could get any redder.

Amanda chuckled. "I'm joking, I'm joking."

The blonde turned to their audience. "Ryuichi's not really my boyfriend. I just love to tease him." Amanda grinned, pinching a highly embarrassed Ryuichi's cheeks playfully. "He's too adorable to resist!"

Ryuichi blushed, burying his face in the soft leather of the couch in an effort to hide his embarrassment. "I hate you."

"Awww, c'mon Ryu-chan; I was only teasing," the blonde grinned brightly as she poked the singer. Amanda purred, green eyes seductive. "Why are you so shy? Where's that sexy look you used to seduce me the last time, huh?"

Ryuichi just whimpered and dug deeper into the couch, as the kissing scene with Amanda in the bathroom flashed in his mind, causing the poor singer to turn an even brighter red.

"_Sexy look!?_ Ryuichi just what did you do with this woman!?" Noriko exclaimed, having finally gotten her voice back. She glared daggers at the 'couple'.

Tohma smiled creepily, his smile almost as cold as it had been with Tatsuha. "Yes Ryuichi, is there something you would like to tell us?"

Ryuichi squeaked at his two best friends' glares, backing away further into the couch. The singer held up his hands in protest. "I-I didn't do anything! We were just playing around!"

Smirking, Eiri joined in the conversation. It seemed fun to torture the brown haired singer. The novelist drawled, raising an eyebrow, sarcasm dripping from his voice like melted honey. "Playing around with what? With each other's bodies?"

Amanda grinned at her accomplice. The two blonds shared a smirk before she purred. "Oh yes, Ryu-chan. Don't you remember the time we were rolling around on the car floor? We were having such a good time weren't we? Too bad Tatsuha had to interrupt..." Amanda's sigh reeked of disappointment.

"RYUICHI!" Tohma and Noriko growled menacingly.

"WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" The desperate singer cried, turning to the other singer in the room. "SHU-CHAN HELP ME!"

Shuichi smiled nervously, teeth giving off a semi-bright glint. "Congratulations on finally finding someone, Ryu-chan?"

"SHUICHI!"

Wide violet eyes blinked with feigned innocence. "Yes, Ryuichi?" Inwardly, Shuichi smirked. _"Well, at least for once I'm not the one being embarrassed. Oh and this is good revenge for hugging MY Eiri and taking away my Strawberry Pokey! Hahahahaha!" _Evil laughter resounded in the seemingly innocent singer's mind.

Ryuichi shot Shuichi a dirty look before turning to Amanda with narrowed blue eyes, though the brunette's cheeks still sustained a deep red hue. "Amanda! Stop this right now!"

Amanda smirked mischievously, the singer's words sending impure thoughts into her mind. The blond raised slender fingers to gently tilt Ryuichi's chin up, locking amused green with scandalized blue, moaning in a deep voice. "You're too adorable for me to stop, _Ryu-chan."_

The blond's bedroom voice sent shivers up Ryuichi's spine, but the singer was too flustered to ponder on how Amanda was able to produce such a deep voice. Shoving the girl away, the brunette turned to his long-time friend with pleading blue eyes. "K!"

The tall American blinked. "Yes, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi pointed frantically at the smirking blonde, who reached out willowy fingers to slide sensually across Ryuichi's slender neck. Flushing, the singer batted Amanda's fingers away, giving her a quick glare before turning back to K. "Stop her, please!"

K nodded. The tall blond turned to his enemy sternly. "I think you have embarrassed Ryuichi enough, Xavier."

Amanda merely smirked. She was too amused to be angry at the use of her given name. "Do not interrupt my fun, Claude."

K blinked at Amanda's lack of hostility towards him, before shrugging and turning away. "Well, okay."

Ryuichi gaped in disbelief at K's withdrawal. "What?! K!"

K grinned apologetically. "Sorry Ryuichi, but I'm not willing to experience death by suffocation or electric shock!" _"Besides, I have to admit it is immensely entertaining to see Ryuichi so embarrassed."_

Ryuichi gritted his teeth with force. "Damn it."

Amanda grinned in amusement, reaching out slim fingers to trail a path down Ryuichi's chest in a sensuous movement, wrapping her other arm around the blushing singer's neck. "What's wrong, _Ryu_? Didn't you pin me to the wall and ask me with that sexy smirk while whispering on my lips if I would like to make love with you that last time?"

The blond leaned forward, growling provocatively into Ryuichi's ear. "I would _love_ to do that right now, and I know you would _love _nothing better than to _ravish_ me on your bed..."

"What? Ryu-chan how could you be so bold?!"

"I really think we need to have a talk on this, Ryuichi-san."

"I didn't think you were of _that_ type, Ryuichi. Hell, _I've_ been _protecting you_ from those perverts!"

"Looks like you're really loved, huh, Sakuma?"

"Really Ryuichi; and here I was thinking you were so _cute_ and _innocent..._"

"I can't believe it! You're almost as forward as Eiri, Ryuichi!"

"I didn't even know you had the _guts_ to even initiate a kiss."

"NO! NO! I NEVER DID THAT!" Ryuichi could feel his face heating up to the colour of a ripe tomato, his stomach tightening uncomfortably at Amanda's lustful growl. He wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him up into blissful darkness. The brunette growled in frustration, turning to his last resort. "TATSUHA!"

Pushing Amanda away, Ryuichi dove into the widely grinning raven haired man's arms, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his chest, whimpering helplessly. "Save me, please!"

Tatsuha blinked slowly, the grin still on his face. _"Wow he must be really desperate if he's turning to me!" _The black haired man sighed wistfully, staring disappointedly at the singer on his chest "_And I was having so much fun too! Amanda is right. Ryuichi's really irresistibly adorable when he's embarrassed."_

"_But I guess it's time to stop. Ryuichi's so red I can feel the heat of his face through my clothes..."_ Tatsuha thought mournfully.

"Alright guys, the gig's up." The black haired boss commanded the entire room, smirking. "Let's just stop torturing our poor little embarrassed Ryu-chan already."

"What!? But I was having so much fun!"

"Awww, no way!"

"Well, I do suppose it's about time."

"Oh well, that was vastly entertaining."

"Don't be a spoil-sport, Boss!"

"That was fun! Wasn't it, Eiri!?"

"Hnn."

Blue eyes blinked at the words of the people around their owner. Drawing back, Ryuichi slowly turned around, perfect features still flushed, azure eyes wide in disbelief. "What?"

Tatsuha grinned, chuckling. "We were just pretending, Ryuichi."

Noriko smiled brightly, giggling. "Yeah, Ryu-chan! I still can't believe you fell for it!"

Tohma smiled, the coldness in his smile turning into vague amusement. "We were merely playing a game, Ryuichi."

"What? But how...?" Ryuichi could only gape in shock at his amused companions.

Shuichi beamed. "Yeah! It was so fun to tease you, you know?"

Eiri smirked, joining in. "Especially when you're so easily embarrassed." He rolled his eyes, expressing his disbelief in a sarcastic tone. "And people call you a _sex god_."

Jeffrey grinned widely. "Yeah Sakuma, it's not like you've never had sex before, right?

Ryuichi blinked stupidly. _"What? I was tricked?" _The singer turned to a certain American. "K...?"

K blinked. Ryuichi looked so lost he almost regretted participating in the teasing of the singer. "Yes Ryuichi?"

"Is it true that all of you were just pretending?"

"Well, of course it is!" K grinned, shrugging. "I just couldn't resist, you know?"

Ryuichi stared unbelievingly at the blond for a moment, before sighing. Brown bangs lowered and a sapphire gaze turned to the floor, their owner's cheeks bright with embarrassment. "I can't believe this!"

"I have a good mind to shoot everyone in this room right now." Ryuichi muttered, giving the highly amused occupants of the room venomous death glares.

Ryuichi yelped as someone jerked him out of Tatsuha's lap. The singer turned surprised blue eyes to the culprit.

Amanda grinned as she stared at Ryuichi in her lap. Her emerald eyes shone with mirth. "Awww, c'mon Ryu-chan! Lighten up! We were just playing!"

In a split second, Amanda's whole countenance transformed. The smooth lines in the blond's face hardened, and Amanda smirked, an emotion Ryuichi did not recognise in green eyes. "Besides, you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

Ryuichi stared at his smirking friend. The brunette had no idea why, but he felt apprehensive of Amanda right then. The whispered words left the singer's lips unconsciously. "Who are you?"

Amanda blinked for a moment, before the blond gave a mysterious smile, murmuring softly. Dark shadows lingered in emerald eyes. "I'm whoever you want me to be, Ryu."

Ryuichi stared as if in a daze. "Huh...?"

Amanda's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Ryuichi had to repress a shiver. Blue eyes widened in fear. _"Who...Who's this? She's not Amanda. Who is she?"_

"You shouldn't ask so many questions, _Ryu-chan." _The blond growled softly into Ryuichi's ear. Curls of blond hair brushed against the singer's neck, tickling the smooth skin. Ryuichi shuddered, sapphire eyes wide at the whispery threat, heart beating twice as fast as usual.

Suddenly Amanda drew back. Green eyes flickered for a moment, varying between emotions. The blonde gave an almost unoticeable scowl, before recovering and regarding Ryuichi with her usual bright grin. One green eye closed in a wink. "Understand, Ryu-chan?"

Ryuichi nodded numbly with glazed azure eyes. _"W-What was that? Who was that?"_

Amanda's lips curled as if to deceive. "Great!"

Shuichi blinked curiously. Suspicion decorated his voice. "What were you two talking about?"

Amanda winked at the pink haired singer, bringing a finger to fine lips. "It's a secret between best friends!"

"What? But I thought Tohma and I were your best friends, Ryu-chan!" Noriko scowled unhappily, crossing slender arms across her chest.

Ryuichi blinked at Noriko's voice. "Eh?"

Tohma frowned, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Ryuichi, are you okay?"

Noriko nodded in agreement, worry in her brown eyes. "Yeah Ryu-chan. You seem a little out of it."

At the sight of his best friends' worried expressions, the singer was thrust back into reality. Ryuichi blinked a few times. Fingernails cutting into a pale palm, the singer gave a bright smile.

"I'm fine, Nori-chan, Tohma!" Ryuichi gave a little yawn, rubbing azure eyes. "Ryu-chan's just a little tired!"

"Oh," Tohma smiled in relief, but there was still a shred of doubt lingering in his eyes. "Why don't you go wash your face then?"

Ryuichi nodded eagerly. "Okay, na no da!" The brunette got up from Amanda's lap, grinning reassuringly at his company. "I'll be right back!"

The singer then made his way out of the room and to Tatsuha's bedroom, as several gazes followed him; doubt, suspicion, worry, concern, puzzlement, antipathy and indifference in different pairs of eyes.

* * *

_Author's Note_

_Well, I'm afraid I have slightly bad news; I just want to say that from this chapter onwards, I might be taking longer to post every new chapter. This is because I will be editing every chapter after this one; I have found out that my descriptive language is very simple compared to other stories. I guess I was focusing too much on the plot. You might have noticed that this chapter is more...descriptive. This is because I specially went back to edit it; 'Tatsuha grinned','Eiri smirked', they all seem too simple to me. I want to try to improve my descriptive skills by talking about other things; their eyes, what they're feeling, etc._

_Yeah, that's all. I guess you can expect the next chapter in, um, three, four or five days? Good news is; I should be taking shorter to post every chapter once I get the hang of it, and am able to describe in detail without thinking too much. I do not know how long that would take though. _

_But hey, at least it's also for your benefit right? I mean, don't you think it would be more interesting if you were to read a descriptive story where you are able to see the characters emotions clearly and the events happening instead of just the events happening? I think it would. But maybe that's just me..._

_Also, I do not want to post chapters at the fast pace I have been doing; since like I said before, we're getting closer and closer to where I have stopped writing temporarily, and nowadays I'm so busy I barely have time to continue my story. And now that I plan to edit my chapters...well, you know what I mean._

_Well, to conclude, see you in a few days time, probably a week at most. I hope you will understand, and I'm sorry for making you wait a longer time for new chapters..." Nevertheless, I hope you will remain patient with me...and I thank all of you, even my ghost readers, for keeping up with the story till this far! And of course, a bigger thank you to my reviewers for taking the time to review and encouraging me to continue this story. Thanks a lot, guys~!!_


	12. Chapter 11: Measures

_Author's Note_

_**To blueberry : **Haha. Well, it is the truth! I was really sad and depressed that no one liked my story enough to review. I was truely thinking of quitting writing it, until you came along. With your constant encouragement and interest in my story, I found the motivation and strength to continue. And I'm glad I did._

_Yeah, poor Ryu-chan. Haha. I don't even know why I added that part in; I guess I just felt like it. It seemed too hilarious and fun not to put in too. Haha. As you can see, I just love to torture Ryuichi. It's fun. Or maybe I'm just a sadist..._

_Wow, you were? Haha, I'm glad that my writing is so, um, intense that it had you cheering for Tatsuha to win. Hahaha. Yes, this Tohma doesn't know everything and can't control everyone's actions. I don't know why many people see him in that way, but I don't. To me, Tohma is as human as everybody else. He's just overly protective over those he cares about, like a mother bear, as Mika had mentioned before in the manga. And methods that may seem overboard to other people are the only ones his devious nature would allow him to use. 'Cause Tohma is just that way. He'd do anything to protect the people he loves._

_I am glad to hear you say that. It is more interesting to read if its more descriptive, isn't it? Though, I don't think I really succeeded in that in this chapter. My descriptions seem lacking and boring somehow. But I guess that's because I've just been so busy this week. I've hardly had time to write at all, and I guess I sort of rushed through it a little. Sigh. I apologize for taking quite a long time, and it's not even as descriptive as I want it to be..._

_Really? Even if I take a month? Haha, just kidding. I probably woulldn't take that long. But thank you. It is immensely heartening to hear that you like my story so much that you are willing to wait, no matter how long it takes. It makes me really happy to hear that. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. _

_Well, enough of my rambling. I talk too much, I know. I hope you enjoy this chapter~!_

_**To sweetsally : **Haha, don't be! One of the reasons why my reply to reviews are so long is because I enjoy talking to my reviewers. I enjoy talking to you and **blueberry **very much. I even felt somewhat happy answering **RiverSakina's** question. It gave me a clear mind. Haha. But I thank you for deciding to make your reviews longer! Long reviews are nice too~_

_Why not? Like I said before, your fics aren't bad, you just tend to ramble a little. I'm sure you can work to improve on that. And yes, I do know Gakuen Alice. I watched it a long time ago. I didn't really read the manga though, but I know who the characters are and all that. Haha._

_Um, ok. To each their own, I guess. I love both writing and typing. Haha, typing more because it helps me get things done faster. Haha. I think I get what you're saying. Yeah, I am quite a lazy person too. But I really like to write, whether its typing or writing. I don't know; I just get so into the story and also sort of want to see what happens next, or I know what will happen next but want to see it play out before me. Haha. I'm weird, I know. I can type fast too, but I guess that's because I've played a lot of RPG online games in the past like Maplestory, and you have to type fast to chat to your friends before the monster kills you and you lose your precious, hardearned EXP. Haha. I know you can just climb on the ladder or hang on a rope, but it's too troublesome for me. So I guess I just learned to type fast._

_Haha. Well, I'm glad to have made you happy, like you have done for me several times with your lovely reviews~haha. I'm honored to hear you think of me so highly!_

_Oh I see. Well, I didn't read the full story; I didn't really have time, so I can't say anything. But I'm sure it's not that bad! Haha, don't belittle yourself too much okay? You're quite a good writer, and I hope you will one day acquire the spirit and drive to start writing fanfictions again! I would even beta-read your manuscripts for you. I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet here, but I have quite a good grasp on grammar; it's really hard for me to make any grammar mistakes. Grammar; it's just a part of me I guess. Like second nature. I don't even follow Microsoft Word's grammar; it's sometimes wrong. It keeps on insisting this word is gramatically incorrect when I know it's not. It's so frustrating sometimes...Oh and my spelling's not too bad either. So I'm sure I'll be able to help you improve your story!_

_Err, really? Wow I didn't notice! No, seriously, I'm not being sarcastic here. I guess I was just so absorbed in reading your long review that I just didn't notice. Haha. *scratches back of head sheepishly*. Um, snatching the hand on being offered the finger? Or do you mean snatching the finger of the hand being offered? Sorry, I'm not too good with sayings. Care to explain?_

_Hahaha! Well, of course Shu-chan's cute! He's almost as cute as Ryu-chan! Haha, sorry but to me, Ryu-chan will always be my favourite and the cutest. Alot of people like Shuichi better, but I like Ryuichi better. And I don't even know why...-.-" Anyway back to the story; yes, Shu-chan was so adorable in that scene, wasn't he? Another one of my favourite scenes in this story! Haha, I sure have a lot, huh? But Shuichi was being quite mature in that scene too; it has been five years after all...But even after those five years they're still the cute couple we know! 'Cause one of the things I find most touching about Eiri and Shuichi's relationship is that Shuichi never gives up on Eiri, no matter how bad he treats him. He always tries to comfort his lover when he's sad or depressed, or calm him down when he's angry. He never backs down; some people may call it stupid and naive and I suppose it is. But, I find it really sweet of him. Eiri is really lucky to have such a patient and caring person like Shuichi in his life, holding the position of his lover, husband and mate for life._

_The Tatsuha-Mika meeting huh? Well of course it will! But I'm afraid it's a little far from now. I had to clarify some things and all, like Amanda and Xavier, Ryuichi and Tatsuha's relationship, etc. Err, I'm afraid I cannot ignore the last line =x. It was positively evil of you! Haha, just kidding; 'cause I am planning to make it that way! It will probably involve strangling and mangling and bloodshed...muahahaha! Err, okay, sorry. Forget what I said!_

_Oh not at all! I am vastly entertained by your 'ramblings'. Haha, don't worry, I ramble a lot too, as you can clearly see. Kyou Kara Maou huh? Haha, I watched that a long time ago, and I absolutely loved the YuurixWolfram pairing. Those two are just adorable! Hahaha, but I'm afraid I've kind of lost my interest in KKM; I had to wait a long time before the 3rd Season came out, and then I had to wait even longer for more episodes of the 3rd Season to come out. In the end, I just decided to abandon it for a while. And when I came back, there were many more episodes than before, but most of them were removed from Youtube. Damn it! I could not find them on any other anime site either...and after not watching the show for so long, my interest in the characters has unfortunately waned..._

_Anyway, I think I've addressed all your issues and questions, so on with the story! I hope you enjoy it! Oh and like I told **blueberry**, I apologize for taking a fairly long time, and it's not even as descriptive as I had wanted it to be..._

**Warnings: Gender bender, crossdressing(?), use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation and its characters, they belong to Maki Murakami. I only own Jeffrey, Amanda, Xavier, Mirai, Dean, Miss Star, Bianca, Kate and Lionel Dream.**

**Notes for this chapter: I've thought for quite a while on this, and have decided that from this chapter onwards, I'm going to use the masculine pronoun to refer to Ryuichi. That's because after reading and replying to _RiverSakina's_ review, I realized that it may be disconcerting to see the female pronoun associated with Ryuichi. It isn't really for me; but I guess it must be for other people. I am just different I guess. Also, _RiverSakina_ pointed out that I'm changing Tatsuha's perception of Ryuichi by referring to him as 'she'. So from now on Ryuichi's going to be referred to as 'he', since he is still a guy in mind, it's only his body that is female. And I'm sure that everyone else still sees Ryuichi as a guy, except maybe Jeffrey and Amanda or Xavier. But I would forget to change the pronoun to 'she' again when it comes to their point of view, so I'm sticking with 'he' the whole way. I hope you don't mind.**

* * *

Noriko watched with worried eyes as Ryuichi left for the bathroom. She turned anxious brown eyes to the blond beside her. "What's wrong with him, Tohma?"

Tohma shook his head, a frown upon his youthful face. "I don't know, Noriko. He seemed fine before." Green eyes widened fractionally. "Do you think he could be angry at us for teasing him?"

Eiri scoffed with disdain at Tohma's fretful expression. "Don't be ridiculous Tohma. That idiot's the last person in the world who would be angry at someone for playing a game."

Shuichi nodded eagerly. "Eiri's right!" He smiled reassuringly. "Like he said, Ryuichi's probably just tired!"

The pink haired singer yawned sleepily. "I mean, I'm a little tired myself!"

Tohma smiled, the worry in his eyes lessening. "You're probably right."

Shuichi grinned back.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey turned to Tatsuha. "What do you think, Shade?"

Tatsuha had his gaze fixed on Amanda. The blonde's green eyes were directed to the floor, a contemplative expression on her pretty face. The raven haired man narrowed dark eyes. "It was Xavier. The look in Amanda's eyes just now; I'm pretty sure it was him."

Jeffrey nodded in agreement."I think so too." The red haired man frowned, puzzled. "But why would he come out?"

Tatsuha shook his head, his black eyes troubled with a variety of emotions. Teeth scraped against the model's bottom lip. "I don't know either..."

There was a click of a gun, and the two men turned their attention to K, who was pointing a gun at Amanda. A deep scowl adorned the normally cheerful and carefree gunman's face as he glared at his enemy with narrowed blue eyes. "What did you do to Ryuichi, Xavier?"

Amanda removed her gaze from the floor. She gave K a hateful look, green flames smouldering in her eyes. "What makes you think I did anything to him?" Thinned lips twisted into a scornful sneer. "Just because you and I hate each other is no reason for you to accuse me of doing something to Ryu-chan."

"I care about Ryu-chan as much as everyone else here does. I would never do anything to him."

Silence filled the air as the two enemies regarded each other with loathing, before K finally relented with gritted teeth. "Fine."

"But," K growled warningly at the other blond. "If I ever find out you have harmed Ryuichi in any way, or if in the future Ryuichi gets hurt because of you, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Amanda merely smirked, lying back against the couch leisurely and raising a slender eyebrow, eying K like he was dirt beneath her feet."Really? Well, too bad. Because I would never dream of doing such a thing." The blond's tone was a rounded blend of sarcasm, skepticism and confidence.

"Hey Shade, why do you think K calls Amanda, Xavier?"

Tatsuha blinked, surprised. He turned his attention to his second-in-command. "I have no idea. Perhaps they just had a bad first meeting or something." He frowned curiously. "Shouldn't you know Jeff, since you seem to know him from a long way back?"

Jeffrey shrugged tiredly. "Well, no. Even back then, K just always seemed to show this hatred towards Amanda." He raised his golden gaze to the ceiling, reminiscing the past. "He was okay with her at first, but then one day he suddenly started calling her Xavier and shooting death glares at her. He wouldn't tell me why either."

Tatsuha nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Well maybe Xavier did something to anger him so much that he refused to call Amanda by her name anymore." The raven haired man suggested.

Jeffrey sighed, lost in his thoughts. "Maybe." _"Though I wonder why Amanda reciprocates K's hatred..."_

All of a sudden, the subject of their conversation stood up, causing everyone's eyes to turn to her curiously.

The blonde turned to the others, lips stretched to form a worried smile. "It's been about fifteen minutes and Ryu-chan's not back yet. I'm going to see if he's alright."

With those words, Amanda made her way to where her friend was.

* * *

Ryuichi stared blankly at the mirror. Confused blue eyes and slightly flushed cheeks met the singer's gaze. _"What just happened back then?_

"_Amanda's eyes just now, they didn't look like they belonged to her. They looked evil. They looked like they belonged to...another person." _Ryuichi mused, staring at the top of the sink uncomprehendingly.

"_They...They scared me," _the singer gripped the sink's edge tightly, the light bleach in trembling knuckles fading to ghost white. Azure eyes filled with apprehension and fear. "I...I was scared. But why?"

With a sigh when he could not find the answer, Ryuichi decided to take Tohma's advice. The vocalist turned on the tap, gathering water in his hands and splashing his face with the liquid to make himself more awake.

The brunette stared with narrowed blue eyes at his reflection, wet brown bangs dripping water, partially covering his eyes. He ducked his head over the sink, deep in contemplation. The quietness of the bathroom was broken by the almost eerie dripping sound water droplets from brown locks of hair made as they fell slowly to the sink, inching their way along ivory.

"Come to think of it, this is the place where Amanda first kissed me, and I found out she was a guy." Ryuichi drew back, muttering. He leaned against the sink, blue eyes reflective. "She told me she went for a sex-change operation, and I didn't ask her why. I respected her privacy."

At the memory, Ryuichi stared thoughtfully at the walls, a hand on his chin. "Wait. Now that I think about it, there's something wrong with that picture..."

The singer's eyebrows furrowed. "Let's see; Amanda went for a sex-change operation to turn into a girl, but she still came out a guy, only with breasts. She still has her manhood..."

Ryuichi's eyes widened at the realization. "That's it!"

"You look irresistibly sexy with your hair dripping wet." Ryuichi started at the sound of a familiar voice from the doorway.

The singer whipped around to face the intruder. "Amanda!"

Amanda smiled. The blond walked up to Ryuichi, tilting the singer's chin up and murmuring softly against his lips. "Call me Xavier, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi blinked with bewildered azure eyes at the stranger before him. "X-Xavier?"

Xavier nodded. Serious green eyes locked with intent blue orbs. "You figured it out, didn't you? That I'm a guy." Ryuichi bit his lip, giving a hesitant nod.

Xavier smirked, leaning slightly closer. "Well then there's no need to pretend around you anymore."

Curiosity got the better of the brunette. Ryuichi tilted his head, brown locks sweeping lightly to the side. Puzzled blue eyes regarded the cross dresser before him. "Why would you need to pretend around me?"

Xavier sighed. The blond gently let go of Ryuichi's chin, stepping back a few steps."It's not that I want to pretend around you," he explained, emerald eyes meeting Ryuichi's sapphire orbs seriously. "It's just that I've been pretending for so long now it's hard to just drop the act."

"Oh," Ryuichi's lips curved into a frown. "But why would you need to pretend?"

"Let's just say I want to avoid some people." The blond replied mysteriously.

"I see." Ryuichi pursed his lips, pondering. After a while, the singer looked up. "Can...Can I see the real you?"

"Sure, anything for my Ryu." It was the second time Ryuichi had heard those words in a day, the first time had been from Amanda. However, Amanda had murmured the words in gentle reassurance, while Xavier drawled them in a tone that made Ryuichi flush.

Ryuichi watched as Xavier took off his shirt and removed the padding from his chest, revealing a masculine chest. The blond then bent down to discard the skirt, leaving him in a pair of fairly short pants. He then carefully removed his contacts, before finally pulling off the blonde wig to reveal blue bangs that swept across his forehead in an intricate design, spiking up a little at the back. He peeled off the camouflaged device from around his neck.

Xavier smirked. Piercing red eyes regarded shocked blue ones. A pleasantly deep, suave and smooth voice emerged from his throat. "So? What do you think?"

Ryuichi exhaled in wonder. "You look like a completely different person."

Xavier pouted. "Hey, that wasn't what you were supposed to say! You were supposed to say something like, 'Oh Xavier, I can't believe you're so handsome!' Or something like that!"

Ryuichi rolled his eyes. Sharp azure eyes drilled into the stranger before him. "I am a man, Xavier."

Xavier smirked, unflinching. A lazy drawl escaped the confines of his mouth. "I know. But I wasn't really a girl either and I still said you were fucking _hot_, didn't I?"

Ryuichi blinked, flushing a little at the memory. "I guess..."

Xavier frowned at the singer's unusual quietness. Red eyes stared worriedly at his silent friend. "What's wrong, Ryu?"

Ryuichi shook his head. "Nothing," he paused, before voicing with a sigh. "It's just, it's all a little hard for me to take in, you know? I mean, it's not every day your friend reveals to you that she's actually a guy..."

Ryuichi frowned, staring up Xavier with slightly hesitant blue eyes. "Was...Was Amanda all an act?"

Xavier smiled sadly at the question, red eyes losing some of their shine. "You miss her, huh?" At Ryuichi's nod, the blue haired man sighed.

"Listen Ryu; you can't call Amanda an act, but she's not real either. She's somewhere in between, I guess," Xavier frowned, red eyes filled with an unknown emotion. "I guess she's a part of me the regular me is unwilling to show, or maybe she's what I would have been like had I been born a girl."

"I see..."

Xavier sighed softly at the sight of the gloomy singer. He strode up to Ryuichi and touched a gentle hand to the brunette's cheek. Azure blue rose to meet crimson red, and the blue haired man smiled.

"Hey, cheer up, Ryu. You'll still see Amanda often," Xavier reassured the depressed singer with a small grin. "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna go around parading in my real form. That's way too risky."

Xavier smiled comfortingly. "This is probably one of the few times you will get to see Xavier Rain, and not Amanda Rain. So don't look so sad, okay? You know I hate to see my friends sad."

At Xavier's words, Ryuichi finally gave a smile, blue orbs regaining their life. "Okay." Xavier smiled back.

There was silence as the singer absorbed the new information, staring into the distance, mind occupied by thoughts. Xavier spent the wait by taking in his rarely seen form in the mirror, combing his hand through wild blue hair and blinking his crimson eyes.

When he had gotten enough of his own image, the blue haired man turned to Ryuichi. "I think it's time we went back-"

"Are...Are the people you want to avoid in America?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow at Ryuichi's stern expression, before nodding. "You could say that."

"Then you would be able to take off your disguise in Japan, wouldn't you?"

Xavier blinked at the sight of what seemed like relief in Ryuichi's eyes. "Huh? Well, I guess."

To his surprise, Ryuichi smiled brightly, blue eyes wide and happy. "That's great, na no da!" Seeing Xavier's confused expression, the singer gave a soft grin.

"I just realized I was being selfish," Ryuichi explained with a heavy sigh, leaning his back against the sink. Sombre, narrowed blue eyes stared at mystified red ones. "I was so distraught to find out Amanda was not the real you that I didn't stop to think about your feelings at all."

The singer gave another sigh, running a hair through shoulder length brown hair, azure eyes gazing solemnly at the silent Xavier. "I...I didn't think about how you trusted me enough to reveal your real identity. I didn't think how hurt you would feel at my rejection of your true persona. All I thought about was that my dear friend was gone, and in her place, someone I didn't know."

"I...I was being such a bad friend," Ryuichi whispered in a low voice, staring at the patterns on the bathroom floor. His heart twisted with guilt. "And I didn't realize it at all."

"I-I'm sorry, Xavier." Blue eyes slowly rose to meet crimson orbs. "Please, forgive me?"

Silence reigned over the room for a moment as Xavier merely stared, almost unseeing, at Ryuichi. The singer kept fretful blue eyes locked on blank red. "Xavier...?" Ryuichi frowned worriedly as Xavier remained silent.

Xavier was standing as still as a statue, staring at him as if he were in a trance. Ryuichi bit his lip. Having been an actor once, he could usually read other people's emotions easily. But as Ryuichi stared into the blue haired man's crimson eyes, he found Xavier to be the one exception. No matter how hard he searched, the singer could not tell what Xavier was feeling at all. Trying to analyze what Xavier was feeling was like trying to read an empty book with no words, yet was said to have some profound meaning; picking out a trace of emotion from Xavier's emotionless eyes was an impossible feat.

The singer was beginning to get worried. Ryuichi resisted the urge to step away from the stranger before him. He wished he could get a hint of what Xavier was thinking. Was his friend mad at him? Or was he just feeling extreme disbelief at Ryuichi's apology? Even though the knowledge hurt, the singer hoped it was the latter. Xavier, or Amanda, was the one who had helped him out of his whirlpool of depression, and Ryuichi did not think he could take it if Xavier was genuinely angry at him.

A heavy weight settled on Ryuichi's heart at the thought. Swallowing, the singer attempted to bring Xavier back to reality."Xav-"

The singer was cut off by his own gasp as Xavier crushed his mouth to Ryuichi's. Wide azure eyes met narrowed crimson orbs as Xavier kissed Ryuichi passionately, an emotion in his eyes Ryuichi could not place. An arm winded around Ryuichi's slim waist, as Xavier brought Ryuichi closer to him with a touch of possessiveness.

After a while, the blue haired man drew back, causing the brunette to gasp for air, panting. "Xavier what-"

Crimson eyes flickered, before Xavier grinned broadly in reply. "Sorry for spacing out for a moment there, Ryu. I just wasn't expecting that, you know?"

Ryuichi shook brown locks, blue eyes confused and apprehensive. The breathless singer took a deep breath, inhaling sweet oxygen. "No, I meant, why did you kiss me?"

Xavier blinked for a while, before smiling. "Oh. Well, you were looking so forlorn I had this urge to kiss you. So I did." The blue haired man shrugged. "I always follow my urges, you know?"

Ryuichi nodded dazedly for a moment, before speaking hesitantly. "So...does this mean you forgive me?"

"Well, of course!" Xavier gave a bright grin, before leaning forward to place an affectionate kiss on the singer's cheek. "How could I not forgive my sweet little Ryu?"

Ryuichi blushed slightly at Xavier's teasing tone. The singer smiled happily, relieved that Xavier was back to normal The heavy weight lifted off his chest. "Thank you Xavier-chan!"

Xavier blinked. "Xavier-chan sounds a little weird..." the blue haired man mused for a moment, before giving a wide smile. "How about Vie-chan?"

Ryuichi nodded eagerly. "Ok, Vie-chan it is then! Though, I'll only be able to call you that in Japan..."

Xavier gave an amused laugh as the brunette pouted. He grinned, messing up locks of brown hair. "You're so cute, Ryu-chan!"

Ryuichi scowled playfully, fixing brown bangs. "Don't mess up my hair, na no da!" Xavier merely smirked.

"Speaking of Japan, I think it's about time we went back." Xavier said. "We've been gone for quite a long time."

Ryuichi nodded in affirmation. "True," the singer strolled to the door, turning back to look at Xavier when he had reached the doorway. "Do you want me to wait for you?"

Xavier smiled, shaking his head. "It's okay, Ryu. I have to take quite a while to perfect my disguise again before I put it back on."

Ryuichi gave a smile of his own. "Alright, na no da." The singer made his way out of the bathroom, exiting the bedroom and returning to his other friends.

* * *

Tohma sighed as he rested his chin on his hands. Anxious green eyes stared at the pale white tabletop. "Ryuichi's not back yet..."

Noriko bit her lip. "I'll go check on him." The purple haired woman got up from the couch. She was about to head in the direction Amanda had gone when Ryuichi entered the room.

"Ryu-chan!" Everyone's eyes turned to the brown haired singer. Ryuichi blinked as Noriko marched up to her best friend, frowning. "Why were you gone for such a long time?"

Noriko blinked as Ryuichi gaze a dazzling smile. "Sorry Nori-chan! Ryu-chan had a tummy ache, na no da!"

"Oh," Caramel eyes blinked, before Noriko smiled in relief. "Are you okay now?"

Ryuichi nodded, grinning. "Ryu-chan feels much better now!"

Noriko grinned back. "That's great!" The two friends giggled as they walked back together to their companions.

"_He looks happier somehow," _Noriko thought as she stared in wonder at the carefree expression on Ryuichi's face. _"Did that Amanda girl manage to cheer him up?"_

"Hey Ryu-chan," Ryuichi turned to look at Noriko curiously. "Where's your friend?"

Ryuichi blinked. "You mean Amanda? She told me she had to fix her hair, na no da."

"Oh okay." _"Her hair looked fine to me..."_

Ryuichi smiled before plopping down next to Tohma, while Noriko took a seat next to the singer.

The blond turned to Ryuichi, concern in his eyes. "Are you alright, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi nodded, smiling brightly. "I'm fine, na no da!"

"I see." Tohma looked unconvinced.

Ryuichi gave a little sigh, before locking blue with green, a reassuring smile on his face. "I really am fine, Tohma. I just had some things to think about, but I'm fine now."

Tohma smiled at Ryuichi's serious tone, green eyes now devoid of worry. "If you say so, Ryuichi." Ryuichi smiled back.

"If you two are done with your cheesy moment, can we get going?" An impatient voice cut into the conversation.

Ryuichi frowned at Eiri. The singer gave a little pout. "Not yet, na no da! We have to wait for Amanda-chan!"

Eiri rolled his eyes in return, his facial muscles twisting to form an annoyed scowl. "Oh great. At this rate we'll never leave this damn place."

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Do you have something against my house, Eiri?"

"Not really. I'm merely wasting my precious time I could have spent writing my novels." Eiri replied, his tone one that spoke of dry summers.

Tatsuha blinked, impressed. _"Wow I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not."_

"Amanda-chan!" The black haired man was jolted out of his thoughts at Ryuichi's voice. He turned to the sight of Ryuichi smiling widely at the approaching Amanda.

Amanda grinned, blowing a kiss. "Ryu-chan!"

Ryuichi grinned back, before turning to the others eagerly. "We're ready now, na no da!"

"Finally." Eiri muttered, rolling his golden eyes. "You girls take forever."

Ryuichi ignored Eiri's comment. The brunette tilted his head to the side curiously, looking around. "So, how are we going to get to Japan? We haven't booked a flight..."

Tohma smiled. "We will be taking my private jet, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi blinked. "Oh," the singer then grinned. "Wow, really? Is it the one with golden and silver streaks? I haven't gotten the chance to ride it yet!"

Tohma grinned back lightly at his excited friend. "Well, you will now."

The blond then turned to address Tatsuha, Jeffrey and Amanda. "Judging by your earlier conversations, I assume the three of you will be coming with us to Japan?"

Jeffrey, Amanda and Tatsuha nodded. Tohma gave a grim smile. Icy green eyes shone maliciously. "Alright. But on one condition; none of you are to carry any weapons with you. I cannot endanger the people there."

"What?!" The three members of _Hellfire _exclaimed in disbelief.

"But that's ridiculous!" Jeffrey protested angrily. Gold eyes glared fiercely at the smirking Tohma. "I can't _live _without my guns and darts! Hell, I never take them off, not even when I go to bed!"

"Yeah!" Amanda agreed heatedly, green eyes narrowing. "We would feel _vulnerable _without our weapons!"

Tatsuha gritted his teeth, clenching a shaking fist strongly. Black eyes full of frustration penetrated Tohma's freezing green ones. "You are asking for the impossible, Seguchi."

Tohma smiled icily. "Is that so? Well then, if you are unable to comply with my request, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to board the plane."

Eiri scowled, golden eyes glaring at the other blond. "Tatsuha will be going to Japan, Tohma. I don't give a damn if his lackeys aren't, but he _will _be coming with us."

Tohma merely smirked lightly. "He will have to obey my orders before I will even allow him into the airport, Eiri."

Ignoring Eiri's low growl, the blond turned to the fuming Tatsuha. "So, as one _Boss _to another, what is your answer, Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha scowled at Tohma's mocking tone, the expression making his face seem even more like his older brother's, who was currently glaring daggers at their brother-in-law. The black haired Boss took a deep breath, before plastering a smirk onto his face. "Fine. We have an agreement, Seguchi."

"What are you saying, Shade!?"

"Yeah Shade! You know we _need_ our weapons!"

Tohma smiled in satisfaction. "Excellent. Then, shall we-"

"On one condition," Tatsuha interrupted the blond, who raised an eyebrow. "And that is for the rest of you to disarm as well, including K."

"What?!" K gaped at Tatsuha's condition. "There's no way I'm ever letting go of my Babies!" The American glared, cradling one of his many rifles protectively.

Tohma scowled at Tatsuha with fiery green eyes. "I'm afraid that is not possible. I do not know about Eiri and Shuichi, but Noriko, Ryuichi and I have never left our guns behind since the day we first decided to use them. And I should think it is pretty obvious what K thinks about this."

Tatsuha merely smirked, raising a dark eyebrow. "Really? Then I'm afraid I'll have to cancel our agreement."

Tohma narrowed his eyes. An impatient scowl curled thin lips. "Do not test my patience Tatsuha. I am doing this for your own good."

Tatsuha gave Tohma a dark glare, staring at him incredulously. "You're doing this for my own good? Well, sorry to disappoint you Seguchi, but I'm an adult now. I am able to make my decisions for myself."

Tohma smiled like the Devil. "True, but you and your subordinates are still members of a dangerous organization. As such, I cannot allow you into Japan with all your fatal weapons."

"You act like we're going to kill everyone around us once we reach Japan, Seguchi," Black eyes narrowed in anger. "Amanda, Jeffrey and I are part of _Hellfire, _an _underground_ organization, not a _terrorist _organization. We have our _own rules_. We are _not_ going to _terrorize_ everyone in Japan."

"Yeah!" Jeffrey agreed heartily. "Why are you so against us, man?"

"Besides," Amanda added, glaring at K like he was the vilest creature she had ever seen. The blond gritted her teeth, seething. "Your precious _K _carries weapons as _fatal _as those we carry with us. Yet, I don't see you _confining_ _him_."

K glared back at the other blond. Furious blue eyes flared. "Well, maybe that's because I don't harbour _evil_ intentions like you do, _Xavier_."

Amanda smirked, raising both eyebrows. "Oh really? My memory must be wrong then, _Claude._ Oh however could that be?"

Eiri stared. The blond was being almost as sarcastic as him. "This is getting ludicrous," he let loose a feral growl. "Just let them have their damn weapons already, Tohma."

Tohma shook his head, still glaring daggers at Tatsuha. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that-"

"Why don't we have a compromise?" Shuichi and Ryuichi suggested at the same time. The two singers had been getting apprehensive and tired of the suffocating hostility in the atmosphere.

"A compromise?" Jeffrey, Tohma, Amanda, Tatsuha and K chorused in unison.

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, brat?"

Tohma faced Ryuichi curiously. "How will we do that, Ryuichi?"

"Yeah!" Ryuichi and Shuichi echoed. The two singers blinked, before turning to each other.

Shuichi grinned at Ryuichi. "Looks like great minds think alike, Ryu-chan! So, should you tell them, or shall I?"

Ryuichi gave a blinding grin back, winking. "You tell them, Shu-chan!"

Shuichi beamed back, before turning to face his curious audience. "Instead of having Tatsuha and his friends leave their weapons behind, why don't we make them swear an oath or something not to use them unless in times of extreme pe-pe-"

"Peril." Ryuichi added helpfully.

"Yeah, that's the word!" Shuichi smiled brightly. "Peril; in times of extreme peril. Or maybe we could get them to choose only one type of weapon to bring along for protection. It would be fair since we, except K, only carry a gun with us after all."

Ryuichi nodded in agreement. "That's right. I agree with Shu-chan!"

Shuichi grinned at the other singer, before turning to a silent Tohma. "So, what do you think?"

Tohma sighed, closing his green eyes and pondering over the singers' suggestion, eyebrows creased in concentration.

After a few minutes, the blond opened his eyes. Reluctance shimmered in them. "Fine."

Shuichi and Ryuichi grinned triumphantly, leaning over Eiri and Noriko respectively to high five each other.

"Great job Shu-chan!"

"I know, Ryu-chan!"

Eiri raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I didn't know you were even able produce a _decent_ idea, brat."

Shuichi pouted. "Eiri why are you so mean-" The singer stopped mid-speech as a realization came to him. "Wait, does this mean you think my idea is good?"

Eiri blinked in surprise. _"Since when did he get so observant?"_

At Eiri's silence, Shuichi's face split into a wide grin. "You do! Oh I love you Eiri!"

Eiri grimaced as the pink haired singer pounced onto him, planting wet kisses all over his face. Sighing, he relented. "Yeah whatever..."

Shuichi grinned in reply, before continuing to shower more loving kisses onto his husband.

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow at Eiri's acceptance. "Wow, you didn't ask him to get off you! Guess I've missed a lot in these five years, huh?" The black haired man smirked, adding fuel to the fire. "And you even let him call you by your name!"

Eiri gave his brother the evil eye. "Shut up Tatsuha."

Tatsuha smiled evilly at Eiri's lack or resistance. "And it doesn't look like you're resisting either-"

"Tatsuha," the black haired man blinked, turning to face his brother in law, who was smiling frostily. "We have yet to reach an agreement."

"Oh. Well, we'll swear an oath, as Shuichi said." Tatsuha shrugged, before turning to Jeffrey and Amanda. "Is that alright with you two?"

"Anything's fine with me as long as I get to keep my beloved darts and guns!" Jeffrey grinned.

"Yeah, there's no way I'm leaving my weapons behind!" Amanda smiled brightly. "Especially my precious whip."

Tatsuha smiled. "Great," the black haired man paused, grinning sheepishly. "How does our organization swear an oath again?"

His two subordinates stared at him incredulously, gold and green eyes wide. The words escaped at the same time. "You mean you don't know?!"

"You're the _Boss _of _Hellfire_, Shade!"

"Yeah Boss!"

Eiri smirked in amusement, his tone one of derision. "Shame on you, Tatsuha."

It was Tatsuha's turn to shoot Eiri a black look. "Shut up brother. I forgot, okay?"

Eiri merely raised a slender eyebrow in return, smirking. "I didn't know the _Boss _of _such_ a _powerful _organization could _forget _such an _important _procedure."

Tatsuha glowered, grumbling under his breath. "Stupid brother." _"This must be his revenge for me teasing him about Shuichi."_

The black haired man turned to Jeffrey and Amanda. "So, how does one of our organization swear an oath?"

Jeffrey blinked at his best friend's death glare, a little afraid. _"I better not tease him about forgetting. I don't want to die young."_

"It's pretty simple actually. We hold our most valuable weapon to our heart with our eyes closed and recite whatever we want to take an oath on, in the name of _Hellfire._" Jeffrey explained.

Tatsuha blinked. "That's it?" Jeffrey nodded in confirmation. "That's...easier than I thought it would be."

Jeffrey smirked. "Well, we had a much more complicated process last time but Lionel Dream decided to change it to something simpler." He shrugged. "Too many people were gravely injured by accident."

Black eyes blinked. "I see."

"Alright then, I'll go first," at Jeffrey's and Amanda's nods, Tatsuha turned to Tohma. "Just to be sure, what do you want us to swear again, Seguchi?"

Tohma smiled with eyes of green ice. "I want you to swear that you will not harm anyone in Japan with your weapons, unless you are in a situation of _extreme peril._"

Tatsuha nodded. He stood up, walking away. "I'll go get my sword."

Tohma raised an eyebrow, green eyes staring at Tatsuha with disbelief. "Your sword's in front of you, Tatsuha."

The dark haired man gave a smirk, turning his head. "Not that sword, Seguchi." He waved a casual hand. "That sword's not even my 5th best."

Tohma blinked. Thin lips curved into a frown. "I see." _"Just how many swords does he have?"_

Jeffrey smirked at Tohma. He leaned back against the couch, drawling with raised eyebrows. "Impressed yet, Seguchi?"

Turning to Jeffrey, Tohma narrowed his eyes, regarding Jeffrey in scorn with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Why should I be?"

Jeffrey blinked at the cold response, before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well, if you're not impressed now you will be later."

"Why would I be-"

"Wow Shade, that's a really cool looking sword you have there!"

Everyone turned to see Tatsuha walking towards them with an exquisite sword in his hands. Smirking, the black haired man took his place next to Jeffrey.

"Isn't it?" Tatsuha grinned, holding out the sword for Jeffrey to see. "Doesn't it look familiar, Jeff?"

Jeffrey furrowed his eyebrows. "What-" His eyes then widened. "Wait, isn't that the legendary sword Lionel Dream used to carry around with him!?"

"That's right," Tatsuha nodded. His black eyes turned a darker hue, fraught with emotions. "He gave it to me when he...passed away."

Jeffrey gazed at his best friend with sympathetic gold eyes. "Oh," Remembering Tatsuha hated pity, he quickly changed his frown to a grin. "Wow, and I thought I'd already seen your best sword! So _this _is your best weapon, huh?"

Tatsuha smiled. "Well, depends on how you look at it. Truth to be told, I've never wielded this sword before. I didn't think I was worthy enough. But it definitely is my most valuable weapon."

Jeffrey scowled at the doubt in Tatsuha's voice. He slammed his fist on the table in frustration, causing the occupants of the room to start in surprise. Gold eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you saying, Shade? You're the successor of the previous _Boss _of _Hellfire_ and the most talented swordsman in the organization! Lionel Dream trained you himself! If you're not worthy enough no one is!"

Tatsuha blinked at Jeffrey's words, a little taken aback at his normally laid back best friend's display of emotion. Realizing his second-in-command was right, a grin broke out across his face. "True. Who knows, I might just be worthy enough now! It's been a long time after all."

Jeffrey grinned widely back, the anger in his eyes vanishing. The red haired man gave a smirk. "Well of course you're worthy enough Shade! You doubt yourself way too much!"

Tatsuha smiled, running a hand through his hair, sighing in exasperation at himself. "Yeah, I guess I do. Thanks Jeff."

The raven haired Boss stared at the sword in his hands. Its handle was a beautiful silver, wrapped neatly with shades of ebony and inscribed with images of raging golden lions with diamonds for eyes, their teeth bared in furious snarls as they wrestled with equally dangerous looking dragons. A glowing emerald gemstone was attached to the end, carved into golden metal. The handle led to a hilt shaped like a crimson crescent moon, which shone mysteriously with ruby light.

Tatsuha ran his hand over a blade made of the finest amethyst, which was reflected onto the ceiling by the lights in the living room, colouring white with soft purple. Streaks of obsidian and white glided down the gleaming metal, bending and arching like patterns in ancient rituals, glittering like the last glimmers of a fading shooting star.

A certain singer finally broke his rare bout of silence at the sight of the exotic looking sword. Violet eyes widened in amazement. "Wow Tatsuha! That's such a cool sword! Shuichi gazed at the dark haired man with pleading violet eyes. "Can I hold it? Please?"

Tatsuha blinked at the hyperactive singer, who was leaning forward like an eager puppy. He was about to agree when the blond version of him roughly pulled an indignant Shuichi back, rolling his eyes. "Don't be stupid, brat. What the hell are you going to do with a sword? Cut yourself?"

"But Eiri!" Shuichi protested, violet eyes tearing. "Tatsuha's sword is so cool! I just want to hold it for a little while!" The pink haired singer pointed to the weapon in awe. "Look! It's just like something out of an RPG game!"

Reluctantly, Eiri turned his gaze to the lethal weapon. His golden eyes only lingered on the sword for two seconds before he tore them away, scowling. "What's so cool about it? It's just a sword."

Shuichi blinked at Eiri's unhappy expression. The pink haired singer raised an eyebrow. "You aren't jealous, are you?"

Eiri stared for a while at Shuichi's unusual perceptiveness. Regaining his senses, he narrowed golden eyes, his scowl widening. "Don't be ridiculous."

Shuichi gave an uncharacteristic evil smirk. His voice was as sickly sweet as honey syrup. "Of course, Eiri."

Eiri's eyes widened at his normally naive lover's display of perfectly executed sarcasm. The pink haired singer was unexpectedly challenging his position of being the most sarcastic person amongst their dysfunctional group, with a version of his own, and the blond did not like it one bit.

Eiri gritted his teeth, snarling. "Don't get cocky, brat." Shuichi just smiled innocently in return.

"I apologize for interrupting the both of you, but can we please get on with the procedure without any interjections?" Tohma's polite but annoyed voice cut into the tense atmosphere.

Shuichi turned his attention from the fuming Eiri over to the impatient Tohma. "But I want to hold Tatsuha's sword!" He whined pitifully, reverting back to his usual persona.

"Shuichi, I am sure that Tatsuha will let you hold his sword later." Tohma said curtly, paying no heed to Shuichi's manipulating puppy eyes.

The vocalist pouted at Tohma's quick dismissal. Glowering, he reclaimed his seat on the couch. "Meanie." The pink haired singer muttered.

Tohma ignored the childish insult, instead turning to Tatsuha. "Do start with your vow, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha blinked himself back into reality. "Eh? Yeah..." _"Big brother's jealous of me? Wow that's something I never imagined could be possible even in a dream."_

The black haired man lifted his sword by its mercury handle, pointing the sharp edge of his amethyst blade towards his heart. He closed his obsidian eyes.

"I, Shade Runner, the 13th Boss of the organization _Hellfire _and successor of the _12__th_Boss, Lionel Dream, swear on my life and my blade never to harm anyone in Japan unless in a situation of extreme peril. This I swear in the name of _Hellfire."_

Tohma nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. I assume Shade Runner is what you're known as by the members of your organization?" At Tatsuha's nod, he turned to Jeffrey with calculating green eyes. "Very well. Please proceed with your oath, Jeffrey-san."

Jeffrey nodded. He thought for a moment, before heaving himself up from the couch. "My most valuable weapon is in my car."

Tohma gave a short nod. He watched as the red haired man exited the room. Jeffrey returned several minutes later, with an unusual looking gun in his hands.

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow at the sight of the new weapon. "I've never seen that gun before, Jeffrey."

"Neither have I!" K added, curious blue eyes examining the foreign device.

Jeffrey grinned. The gun he held looked like a cross between an AK-47 rifle and a shotgun, and was gold and red in colour. It was fairly long, like both guns. It had the barrels which could be found on a shotgun; only Jeffrey's gun had six of them, arranged in the shape of a diamond. Its structure was similar to that of an AK-47 rifle, and a device that looked vaguely like a telescope rested on top of it.

However, unlike an AK-47 rifle and a shotgun, Jeffrey's gun had small knobs and dials all over it, and several buttons as well. Perhaps the most unusual thing of all was that it had two triggers; one on top of the red and golden gun and the other in the usual place, at the bottom.

The red haired gunman smirked. "It's my secret weapon." He said mysteriously. "I just created it recently."

"Cool! You create guns?!" Jeffrey blinked, turning to the excited pink haired singer.

"Yeah, I'm an inventor of weapons, sort of." The red haired man replied simply.

"Really?! That is so cool!" Shuichi exclaimed in awe.

"Can I hold it?" The vocalist asked, staring at the inventor with huge violet eyes. "Please?"

Jeffrey was about to refuse, before he caught sight of the singer's pleading expression. He sighed, reluctantly handing the weapon over to the delighted Shuichi. "Alright, just don't drop it or anything. Oh and don't touch or press any of the buttons or move the knobs and dials."

Shuichi nodded eagerly, receiving the gun from Jeffrey reverently. He gazed in admiration at the weapon, carefully turning it over. "This is so cool! It looks like something off a science fiction movie! Oh how I wish it was mine!"

Ryuichi was beside him in an instant. Azure eyes stared in amazement at the gun in Shuichi's hands. "Wow Shu-chan, that's a really cool gun you have there!"

Shuichi grinned brightly. "Isn't it!? It belongs to Jeffrey-san though..." The singer sighed sadly, pouting.

Ryuichi stared curiously at the numerous buttons, knobs and dials. "I wonder what those do?" The singer reached out to press a particularly enticing looking orange and red button.

Shuichi's violet eyes widened in panic. "No Ryuichi!" But it was too late.

There was a striking sound, before vicious orange-red flames erupted from a barrel of the gun. Shuichi yelped, almost dropping the gun in his astonishment.

"RYUICHI!"

"I'M SORRY, NA NO DA!"

Gold eyes widened at the sight of the flames. The owner of the gun hurried over, snatching it out of Shuichi's arms and flipping several knobs and dials. The flames retreated, and the red haired man let out a sigh of relief.

Jeffrey turned to the pink haired singer, scowling angrily. Gold eyes glared viciously. "I told you not to touch anything!"

"I didn't! It was Ryuichi!" Shuichi pointed a frantic finger at the brunette. "He pressed some orange and red button!"

"Shu-chan!" Ryuichi exclaimed in disbelief at his friend's betrayal, glowering.

"Each man for himself, Ryu-chan! It's true anyway, right?" Shuichi grinned sheepishly before fleeing to the couch to escape Jeffrey's wrath.

Ryuichi gave Shuichi a dark look, to which the singer responded by blinking, an innocent smile on his lips. He winced at the sound of a growl, sweat dropping as Jeffrey glared venomously at him. "Err, sorry?" The singer waved his arms about in protest as Jeffrey's glare intensified to positively life threatening. "I didn't know! Really!"

Apprehensive and slightly fearful azure locked with raw and angry gold. Silence engulfed the atmosphere as Ryuichi and Jeffrey combated each other in a staring competition, both of them unflinching.

Finally, Jeffrey blinked. The red haired man rolled his eyes, sighing. "Fine, you're forgiven." _"And only because I owe you, somewhat."_

Ryuichi beamed, the fear leaving his blue eyes to be replaced with joyful gratefulness. "Thank you, na no da!"

The red haired gunman nodded in return, giving a singer a small smile before moving over to his place beside Tatsuha.

Tatsuha grinned, impressed. "A flamethrower, Jeff? About time you made one!"

Jeffrey gave a smirk. "More than that, Shade."

Tatsuha blinked curiously in reply. He frowned slightly, black eyes confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Jeffrey grinned enigmatically. His gold eyes shone with pride. "Well, let's just say this Baby's one of my most ingenious inventions yet."

The red haired man turned to Tohma, smirking at Tatsuha's mixed expression of awe and puzzlement. "I shall proceed with my oath now, Seguchi."

Tohma nodded, a little disconcerted with the earlier display. _"Just what do these people keep as weapons? Thank god neither Ryuichi nor Shuichi was injured."_

At Tohma's nod of agreement, Jeffrey closed his eyes, bringing the diamond-shaped barrels of his beloved gun to the position of his heart.

"I, Jeffrey Steelheart, swear on my pride as the second-in-command of the 13th Boss of _Hellfire_, Shade Runner, and the barrels of my gun, to never harm anyone in Japan except for in a situation of extreme peril. This I swear in the name of _Hellfire_."

"Alright," Tohma nodded as Jeffrey opened his eyes. He then turned to the third member of _Hellfire_. "It is your turn, Amanda-san."

Amanda blinked before smiling brightly. "Sure!" The blonde fished out her golden whip, before holding it to her chest. She closed her eyes.

"I, Amanda Rain, swear on my pride as a member of the organization _Hellfire _and my-"

"Wait!" A rambunctious voice cut into the oath.

Tohma turned surprised eyes to the scowling blond American. "K?"

"Yes, _Claude_, what do you want?" Amanda sneered in disgust. "You of all people should know that interrupting a member of _Hellfire_ in the middle of taking an oath is punishable by _death_." The blonde cracked her whip threateningly.

K scowled, before turning it into a cocky smirk. "That's only if you don't have a good reason, _Xavier._"

Amanda resisted the urge to scowl, instead choosing to raise a questioning eyebrow. "Oh really? Enlighten me, _Claude_."

K grinned evilly. His blue eyes exuded unhidden malice. "I want you to take the oath as Xavier Rain, and not Amanda Rain."

"What?!" Three disbelieving voices rang out in unison.

"Are you crazy, K!?"

"What are you thinking, K?"

Amanda growled, the grip on her whip tightening. Claw like fingernails marred smooth palms with angry red lines. "And who are you to command me, _Claude_?"

K smirked superiorly. "Well, no one really. But everyone knows _Xavier_ is much more _dangerous_ than _Amanda_. So _he_ should be the one to swear no harm upon the people of Japan, no?"

Amanda glared at K for a moment, grinding her teeth. Seeing the stunned faces of the people around her and the curiosity in their eyes, she relented. "Fine, _Claude._ Have it your way." The blonde gave the proud K a hazardous look. Green eyes closed for several seconds, before they shot open, their irises much sharper and less kind than before.

"Oh you've done it, K." Jeffrey sighed, burying his head in his hands as Tatsuha stared, speechless. "Wake me up when the bloodshed is over." He mumbled tiredly.

Xavier smirked with an aura of fearlessness. He raised a mocking eyebrow. "Satisfied now, Claude?"

K returned the smirk, deviousness curling his lips. "Not really. Didn't you hear me, Xavier? I said I wanted you to take the oath as _Xavier Rain,_ which includes your original appearance and _Xavier's_ most valuable weapon, not _Amanda's_."

"No. Fucking. Way." Xavier snarled like an enraged dog, grabbing Tatsuha's sword off the table. His green eyes were wild and full of rage. "You've crossed the line, Claude."

"Is that so?" K sneered back, grabbing Tatsuha's other sword. Electric blue eyes regarded the bristling man before him with a condescending glare. "I see you desire another _defeat_, Xavier."

Xavier narrowed his eyes, lowering. "That was an _accident_. And I'll _prove_ it to you." Intent on tearing his opponent to pieces, the blond was about to lunge at the smirking K when a hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him back into the couch.

"_Do not upset Ryuichi."_ A deep voice growled into Xavier's ear, its tone dark with traces of danger.

Xavier's eyes widened at the words. He turned to look at the brown haired singer, who was staring at him with alarmed and frightened azure eyes. An image of his friend crying and glaring tearfully at him with narrowed blue eyes flashed into his mind like a bolt of lightning.

The blond groaned, crashing back down on the couch. "Well, fuck."

"Fuck is right." Tatsuha hissed like a furious snake. His incensed obsidian eyes blazed with flaming black fire. "You better explain things to Ryuichi right now. And if he comes out crying I swear I'll make you _pay_."

If looks could kill, Xavier would have been reduced to mere ashes. He swallowed a little at the dangerous look in Tatsuha's eyes. "Yeah, I know," the blond got up from the couch. "Thanks Shade."

Tatsuha nodded, black eyes still dark with anger. Xavier made his way over to where Ryuichi was sitting, frozen in time. "Hey Ryu-chan."

Ryuichi stared at him with dim blue eyes. "Yes Xavier?"

Xavier smiled, taking hold of Ryuichi's hand and pulling the singer gently up from the couch. "Come with me, Ryu-chan? Vie-chan wants to talk to you."

Ryuichi nodded. The brunette's eyes were unseeing, seeming almost lost, as if stuck in a misty haze. Xavier grimaced at the sight of those glazed blue eyes. Sighing, he pulled the brunette in the direction of the bedroom.

"Where are you taking Ryu-chan!?" A feminine voice demanded harshly, cutting roughly through the sudden noiselessness in the living room.

Xavier narrowed his eyes at Noriko, who was glaring at him angrily with sparks in her caramel eyes. He was about to snap at her when he remembered that she was probably Ryuichi's best friend.

The blond put on his most charming smile. "Pardon me My Lady, but I would just like to have a little talk with Ryuichi here."

Noriko narrowed her brown eyes, paying no attention to Xavier's gentlemanly tone. "A little talk? A violent person like you? What kind of an idiot do you think I am-"

"It's alright, Noriko." A smooth, calm voice interjected into the purple haired woman's rant.

Noriko turned to face Tatsuha with a raised eyebrow, staring at him incredulously. "Alright? How can letting Ryu-chan go with that...that barbarian be alright?!" She pointed at the seething Xavier, disgust apparent on her pretty features.

Tatsuha merely smiled with a touch of malice. "Xavier won't harm Ryuichi, Noriko. I made sure of that."

Noriko blinked at the vindictive look in black depths. "Oh okay." _"He's scary..."_

Tatsuha smiled. "Good." The black haired man turned his head. Seeing that Xavier and Ryuichi were gone, he turned back to the mostly still occupants of the room. "I assume you are all dying to know what just happened back there?"

Tohma was the first to recover. He narrowed his green eyes. They emitted the coldness of an iceberg. "Yes, Tatsuha. Do _explain_."

Unaffected, Tatsuha smirked. "Sure."

* * *

_Author's Note_

_Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I apologize for the slow pace of the plot; but I need to clear some things up before it can truly move forward. So yeah..._

_I also hope you liked Tatsuha's sword and Jeffrey's gun. I know my descriptions were not too...enlightening. Maybe I shall try to draw them out, though my drawing skills are practically nonexistent. Still, I will try my best. When I have the time, that is..._

_So, I guess I'll see you guys in a week or so. I also apologize for taking quite a long time. I am currently undergoing a busy schedule. Sigh. Believe me, I love to write. But there are just some more important things to do, you know?_


	13. Chapter 12: True Identity

_Author's Note_

_**To blueberry: **Haha. You are most welcome. That chappie was long, wasn't it? Close to 11,000 words, though it included the Author Notes. Still can't believe I'm able to write that long. -_-". I got carried away I guess. Sigh. But do not worry, I will probably never write that long again in the future. I do not even have the time to do that._

_Yeah, I sort of liked Tohma more at the end of the OVA too. He was so cool with his um, caring manipulation. Haha. Love-hate relationship? Interesting. I know what you mean. But anyway, personally I've always liked Tohma, he's just so unique a character for me not to like him. Haha. The fact that he does evil things makes him even cooler. Or maybe I'm just evil..._

_And yes, Shu and Ryu are dangerous with weapons. Imagine what would happen if they were as skilled as Jeffrey and Tatsuha! Or if they had as such cool weapons as them... Haha. Not saying that Shu and Ryu aren't strong; quite the contrary, actually. Especially Ryuichi, he has perfect aim. Now if only he would learn how to wield a sword... Oh and Jeffrey does sleep with his weapons, so no worry about setting the house on fire. Haha. Not sure 'bout Tatsuha, though._

_Xavier and K, huh? Yeah, those two are a mystery. Why do they hate each other again? ...Oh yeah. Not sure when it will be explained though. Yeah, Tohma's just that type of person, I guess, like I said to you before; like a mother bear. He does not care about other people's feelings as long as he is able to protect the ones he loves. And well, Tatsuha's not in that list right now, though since you requested, I will try to have him and Tohma form more friendly relations in the future. It will be hard, though. By the way, why aren't you worrying about Tatsuha's and Ryuichi's relationship instead? Haha._

_I see. Yes, I do know how you feel. Tatsuha is my favourite too, just second to Ryuichi. He's cool, but unfortunately, an anime character will never be real. Maybe you could dream of him or something. Haha. Think of him before you go to sleep. Because I thought of Ryuichi once before going to sleep and I dreamt of him. I was Tatsuha though. Which was even better!_

_Mika and Tatsuha, huh? Um, she'll be angry, definitely. I mean, who wouldn't, when your brother who has been missing for 5 years suddenly comes back out of the blue? But I guess I'll try to keep the mangling to a minumum. Haha. Yeah, I wish for that too. But they were all too busy with their own lives to care about poor Tatsuha. Maybe they won't be now. Maybe... I will try to get everyone to think about Tatsuha too. Haha._

_Really? Haha, I'm glad to hear that. Um, but this chapter may not be as descriptive. I guess it's because I haven't written in so long... I apologize. Oh. I did not realize that until recently either. Haha, so do not feel too bad. And Thank you, I enjoy talking to you and **sweetsally **too. It is fun. Haha. But my drawings suck, i don't care if you only can draw stick figures with different coloured hair, I draw stick figures with no hair at all.-.-". Haha. Pathetic, right? But your comment made me laugh =X._

_Anyway, that's all. So sorry for the late update, I've been busy for the whole week. Literally. Please forgive me, and I hope you will enjoy the chappie~!_

_**To sweetsally: **Wow, I had to read that a few times to get what you were asking. No offence, I was just pretty tired , I would probably choose the first option, though I don't think I get your meaning...I'm stupid, I know._

_Haha. It's alright. Well, I am glad to hear that my story managed to brighten up your day, and made you a little happy. I understand how you feel; I have bad days too. Everyone has them. So don't feel too sad, okay?_

_I see. Haha, well I think you did quite a good job. I was already blinking in puzzlement at the start. *laughs* Oh really? Wow, so have you become a fan of TatsRyu? Because I'm sort of the opposite; I feel like I'm losing interest in Gravitation. Sigh. I shall go reread the manga and watch the anime to revive the flame. But don't worry, I am still continuing this story. I still like TatsRyu!_

_Yes, you may PM me. I don't mind. But I'm new to this site, so I may not know how to reply you or something. But I'm sure I'll figure it out. Oh and I won't be online often. Like I said, I am currently leading quite a busy life. And you are welcome. I understand your situation; I barely have enough time to write this fanfiction too. I am happy that you will inform me when you have decided to start writing fanfictions again. Oh and don't worry, I won't ignore you. I actually found your review vastly entertaining. *chuckles lightly* And by the way, no review is pseudo to me, I treasure all my reviews. Unless it is a flame that is, but so far, there haven't been any. Thank goodness._

_Well, enough blabber from me. Please forgive me for the late update, and I hope you will enjoy the chapter~!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, Maki Murakami does. I only own Amanda/Xavier, Jeffrey, Dean, Miss Kate, Bianca, Lionel Dream and Mirai.**

**Warnings: Gender bender, use of vulgarities, possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU, crossdressing(?), slow pace of plot.**

**Notes for this chapter: None, except for possibility of characters being out of character, which is already stated above.**

* * *

Tatsuha sighed as he looked around at all the curious and intrigued faces around him. _"This sure is turning out to be quite a day of explanations..."_

"So Jeff, should you start first, or should I?" The black haired man casually questioned, turning to his best friend.

Jeffrey, who now had his head out of his hands, shrugged. "Anything's fine with me, Shade. Maybe you should do it though, since you know Amanda better than I do."

Tatsuha nodded. He turned to his audience. "Alright, to start things off, Xavier is Amanda's other personality."

Gasps echoed around them. "You mean that blonde girl has Multi Personality Disorder?"

Tatsuha nodded to Eiri. "That's right."

"But Xavier's a guy's name right?" Shuichi spoke up curiously. "And Amanda's a girl, isn't she?"

Tatsuha smiled. "Yeah. But don't you know it's possible for a person to have a personality which is the opposite gender?"

Shuichi blinked, shaking his head. "I didn't know..."

"Wait, if Xavier is Amanda's other personality, what did K mean by original appearance?" Noriko questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. "I mean, they're the same person, right?"

Tatsuha sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, this may sound weird, but Amanda was originally a guy."

Another series of gasps were heard, and Shuichi opened his mouth. Tatsuha held up a hand to stop the singer. "Let me finish, Shuichi."

Shuichi bit his lip, closing his mouth reluctantly.

"Amanda was a guy, but he wanted to be a girl. I don't know the reason why, but whatever it was, he almost succeeded until Xavier stopped him." Tatsuha explained. "So he, or she, is half female and half male now."

"Since he couldn't do anything to stop Xavier, Amanda tried to ignore the fact and turned himself into a girl, blonde wig, voice changer and all." Tatsuha continued. "Everything was fine until, well..."

The dark haired man turned to his second-in-command. "You tell them, Jeffrey. You've been in _Hellfire_ longer than I have. I didn't get the chance to see the infamous incident."

Jeffrey gave a nod. "Sure Boss."

"Well, like Shade here said, Amanda was doing fine as a girl until one day Xavier snapped," Jeffrey revealed. "Actually, I wasn't there either. I just came back from a mission when I saw many dead bodies scattered around the place. I got quite the shock."

"Naturally, I thought it was an enemy invasion and went to take a look," Jeffrey grimaced at the memory. "I saw Xavier on a rampage, killing everyone around him at lightning speed with his sword and laughing like he was enjoying seeing his colleagues die."

"I didn't recognize him at first, with his wild blue hair and mad crimson eyes. I was about to attack him when Lionel Dream, the Boss of _Hellfire_, back then, appeared and stopped me. He smiled at me, before disappearing in a flash to stop Xavier."

"I don't know how he managed to do it. They were moving so fast they were just vague blurs, but next thing I knew, the blue haired murderer was bowing his head to Lionel Dream and shouting that he was sorry over and over again." Jeffrey smiled a little.

"Was this Lionel Dream Boss of yours really that powerful?" Shuichi quipped.

It was Tatsuha who answered. "Yeah, he was the strongest member of the organization, being the Boss and all, and one of the most powerful and influential people in the world."

The black haired man gave a smile that beheld admiration and fondness. "And one of the kindest people I knew as well."

Shuichi could not help but smile back at the heartening expression on Tatsuha's face. "I see. I'm glad." Tatsuha gave a grateful smile.

The touching moment was interrupted by a harsh bark of laughter. Shuichi and Tatsuha turned to look at Eiri, who was smirking. "You think of a man who was an underground organization's Boss as one of the kindest people you've ever met?" The blonde's smirk widened in diameter, amusement in his eyes. "You're pathetic, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha merely returned Eiri an identical smirk to his own. "Whatever you say, brother."

Eiri's eyes widened by millimetres at his usually quarrelsome and prideful brother's offhanded dismissal of his words. His golden eyes scrutinized the man who looked so much like him. _"He's changed. If it were the old Tatsuha he would have been defending his honour by now."_

The blond smirked inwardly, eyes scanning the aloof Tatsuha, _"Yet I don't see him doing that. I must have made him all the more like me." _Eiri chuckled to himself.

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow as deep chuckles reverberated from his big brother's throat. "What's with you, brother? One moment you're belittling me and the next you're laughing; or are you laughing at me?"

Eiri gave an uncharacteristic grin. "What do you think?" He drawled, mirth in his voice.

Tatsuha blinked, before shrugging. "Geez, I don't know. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not."

The dark haired Boss turned to Jeffrey. "Show's over, Jeff."

Jeffrey started a little at the sudden voice, before nodding. "Yeah alright. Oh well, I don't have much more left to say anyway.

The red haired man turned and faced his audience. "Shortly after, Lionel Dream held a meeting for all the surviving members of _Hellfire_. He told us about Amanda's split personality disorder and got Amanda to apologize deeply to the organization. He also told us he would give Amanda the punishment she deserved, though no one knew what it was."

"Whatever it was, it seemed to work. Amanda became her usual cheerful self again, though she seemed to become apprehensive of Lionel. Xavier almost never appeared, except when someone, mostly an enemy, angered Amanda to the point where she couldn't take it. And well, let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight." Jeffrey finished, shrugging his shoulders.

Silence lingered for about five minutes, as everyone took in the new piece of information, before Tohma finally opened his mouth. "So, you are saying that your friend has a personality in her that is a ruthless killer?"

Tatsuha nodded. "That's correct."

Tohma's lips moved, but Noriko was faster. "And you let Ryu-chan go with that monster!? How could you?!"

"Yes, Tatsuha. You knew all this and yet you let Xavier take Ryuichi away?" Tohma narrowed his green eyes angrily, shoulders trembling violently in an effort to contain his anger. Worry and fear for his best friend squeezed his heart. "I cannot believe you."

"What are we waiting for? We have to go save Ryuichi right now!" Shuichi exclaimed in panic, dashing off to the direction of the bedroom.

Shuichi yelped as a hand on his collar stopped him in his tracks. Irritated, he turned around to face his blond love, eyes ablaze with purple flames. "Eiri!? Why are you stopping me?! Ryuichi could be badly injured right now, or even dead!"

If it had been the Shuichi from five years ago who had given him such a furious look, Eiri would have undoubtedly been surprised, even disbelieving that Shuichi was able to give anyone such a demoralizing stare, much less his blond lover whom his renowned music and life revolved around.

But as it was, Eiri had learnt a lot about Shuichi over the past five years, and one of the things he still remembered clearly was that despite his everlasting patience, Shuichi was capable of showing anger, especially when his friends were in peril. And Eiri accepted that part of Shuichi. Just like Shuichi had accepted his cold personality and the many disabilities, Eiri had accepted Shuichi's protective and at times overbearing nature. It made him seem more human. To him, anyway.

Eiri glared. "Hold on brat. You are jumping to conclusions."

The blond novelist dragged the protesting singer back, dropping him unceremoniously down onto the couch before taking a seat himself.

Narrowed golden eyes moved their gaze to almost identical black ones. "You better have a good reason for your actions, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha grinned. "You know me so well, brother."

"Xavier will not harm Ryuichi," the black haired man stated simply. "Amanda is my friend, and I know Xavier to a certain extent. He's not so bad once you get to know him, actually. He told me once that if there's one thing he and Amanda share, it's that they would never willingly harm the people they care about."

"And Xavier cares about Ryuichi," Tatsuha continued. "Usually when Xavier comes out, it's to kill someone, and he won't retreat until he accomplishes his goal."

"But, he stopped when I told him, well warned him actually, that he was upsetting Ryuichi," Sadness lingered in Tatsuha's smile. "He retreated, and everyone in _Hellfire_ knows that Xavier _never_ stops when he's decided to kill someone. I was surprised that he was being so docile, actually."

The room was silent, as Tohma, Shuichi, Eiri and Noriko paused to take in the information.

Finally, Tohma spoke. His cold green eyes were full of apprehension and doubt. "So, you are absolutely sure that Xavier will not harm Ryuichi in any way?"

Tatsuha's black eyes were dead serious. "Yeah. I'm completely sure."

The two Bosses locked gazes for a moment, before Tohma sighed, closing his eyes in contemplation. When he opened them after a few minutes, only a silver of doubt remained. "Fine. I suppose we will have to wait until Xavier brings Ryuichi back then."

Eiri scowled. "At this rate we'll never get to Japan."

Shuichi grinned, nudging his husband's shoulder. "Awww come on Eiri! I mean, don't you think this is exciting? A totally cool looking sword, a flamethrower, and now a girl with another personality that is a ruthless killer! It's like we're in a movie or something!"

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Yeah right," the blond turned to his black haired brother. "What _cool_ friends you have Tatsuha; a crazy inventor of weapons and a hermaphrodite with split personality disorder."

Tatsuha smirked in return. "Well, too bad. I find them better than a cold bastard of a brother and a bitchy sister."

Eiri smirked in amusement. "True."

Tatsuha grinned, before turning to Shuichi. "So you're okay with leaving Ryuichi with Xavier now, huh?"

Shuichi blinked, before giving a bright smile. "Yeah!" The pink haired singer gave a little shrug. "I mean, I trust you, Tatsuha. You're the last person who would want any harm to come to Ryuichi."

Black eyes blinked, before Tatsuha gave a genuine smile. "Well, that's true. Thanks, Shuichi."

Shuichi grinned back. "No problem!"

"Trust our cute little Ryu-chan to capture even a ruthless killer's heart!" Tatsuha, Eiri and Shuichi swung their heads to face Noriko, who winked.

Shuichi smiled. "Yeah, I would be jealous, but I already have my Eiri!" He grinned brightly, hugging his blond lover happily.

"Get off me brat! And I'm NOT yours!"

"What?! But Eiiriii-!"

Tatsuha blinked as Shuichi wailed, clutching onto Eiri who was scowling and trying to push the singer off. "Capture Ryuichi's heart?"

Noriko turned to him with a bright grin. "Yeah! I mean, Xavier wouldn't have stopped if he didn't like Ryu-chan in some way right?" She giggled. "It's just like in those shoujo manga!"

The black haired man blinked. "Oh."

Noriko looked up at Tatsuha with a sly smile. "What, Tatsuha? You couldn't be _jealous_ by any chance, could you?"

Tatsuha smirked. "Maybe." _"Insanely."_

Noriko blinked, before grinning. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! You like Ryu-chan too, huh? Wow, does this mean Ryu-chan's in a love triangle then?" The purple haired woman pouted. "I'm so jealous! A Boss of an underground organization and a ruthless killer with a soft spot for him! Why does Ryu-chan get all the handsome guys?!"

Tatsuha stared somewhat disbelievingly at the woman. "You're _married_, Noriko."

Noriko smirked. "Well yeah, but it wouldn't hurt to flirt a little, would it? I am a perfectly good looking and beautiful woman, after all!" She shrugged a little. "Besides, Tetsuya said he doesn't mind."

_"Your husband doesn't mind?"_

The purple haired keyboardist grinned. "Yup! I mean, he knows it's in my nature, and he also knows I love him no matter what!"

The black haired model blinked. There was a fondness in Noriko's soft brown eyes he had never seen before. "I see."

Noriko smiled. "Hey, why are you taking this so seriously, Tatsuha?" She winked. "Didn't you use to flirt with me before? And I was married then too!"

The purple haired woman grinned sneakily. "Or could it be that you're loyal only to Ryu-chan now?"

_"Yeah, I guess I've been so enamoured with Ryuichi that I've forgotten what it was like to have a good time," _Tatsuha chuckled. _"Wow, never thought I'd ever say or think that."_

"You are!" Noriko's eyes widened at Tatsuha's chuckle. "You're giving up flirting with other girls for the sake of Ryu-chan's love? That...That's so romantic!" She swooned.

Tatsuha sweat dropped. He held out a hand in mild protest. "Hey, it's not like that..."

"What?!" The black haired man gulped a little as Noriko rounded on him with furious brown eyes. "You are not serious about Ryu-chan!?" She glared viciously at Tatsuha, pumping a fist into the air in determination. "If it's like that, then as Ryuichi's best friend, I cannot allow you to have his heart!"

"Um, no. I'm not- I mean, I am serious..." Tatsuha did not even know what he was saying anymore.

Noriko grinned widely, the anger in her brown eyes disappearing as if it had not been there at all. "Great!" The purple haired woman closed an eye with good humour. "Then you better do something to win Ryu-chan's heart before your love rival Xavier makes a move!"

Tatsuha blinked dazedly. "Yeah..."

_"That's right, Xavier's my love rival. I have a love rival." _Black eyes blinked once again. _"I never thought I'd have a rival for Ryuichi's heart. Not that Ryuichi's not good looking or anything. Quite the opposite actually. He's gorgeous. Sexy too. I only go for the best, after all." _Tatsuha smirked as an image of the sexy vocalist of Nittle Grasper materialized in his mind, a seductive smirk on his handsome face as his lips brushed against the microphone in his hands. Inwardly, Tatsuha released a low groan of disappointment, wishing the image was real and that he was the one Ryuichi was kissing lightly.

_"Oh well, it shouldn't be a problem. Xavier's just a personality, he'll have to go eventually. And Amanda doesn't like Ryuichi that way, does she?" _The raven haired man mused, banishing the enticing image from his mind. It would not be right to fantasize about his idol now. Tatsuha thought for a while on Amanda's candidacy as Ryuichi's lover, before shrugging.

_"Probably not. And if she does, well, I'll worry about it when the time comes."_

* * *

Xavier led Ryuichi into the bedroom, closing and locking the door. The blond settled onto the bed, tugging the singer down to sit beside him.

Xavier turned to Ryuichi with a smile. "Hey Ryu-chan?"

The blond frowned when Ryuichi did not reply. He waved a hand in front of blank blue eyes. "Ryu?"

At the lack of reply, Xavier sighed. He thought for a moment, before cupping Ryuichi's cheek and bringing his lips to the lifeless singer's.

At the intimate contact, Ryuichi's eyes widened. The singer pushed the blond away, glaring with vehement blue eyes. "What are you doing?!"

Xavier just grinned. "I see that my Sleeping Beauty's finally awake."

Ryuichi scowled. He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not yours. And I am in no way a Sleeping Beauty! I wasn't even sleeping!"

"Sleepless Beauty, then?" Xavier teased, referring to Nittle Grasper's hugest hit. He laughed at Ryuichi's scrunched up features. "It's just a term of endearment, Ryu-chan!"

Ryuichi smiled at Xavier's carefree laughter, before turning serious. "I want to know what happened back there."

Xavier blinked as narrowed blue eyes stared at him seriously. He sighed, brushing golden bangs back from his forehead. "I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?"

The singer nodded. "Yeah. Why did Tatsuha and Jeffrey panic when K asked you to take the oath?" Ryuichi paused. Apprehension shone in his hesitant eyes. "The way they and K were talking...it's like you were a different person or something."

"That's because I am," Ryuichi looked up in surprise. Xavier smiled. "To them, at least."

Blue eyes blinked in confusion. "Huh? But I thought..."

"Ever heard of Multi Personality Disorder, Ryu?"Ryuichi nodded. The singer turned doleful blue eyes to the patterns on the bed sheets. _"They used to think I have it..."_

Xavier smirked deviously. "Well, I made them think I had it. I tricked them, Ryu." His green eyes glinted with something unrecognizable.

Ryuichi's eyes widened. He whipped his head up, words beginning with a stutter. "W-What? But why...?"

"As you probably heard Claude say, I'm dangerous, and to him and many others, much more dangerous than Amanda." Xavier smirked. His green eyes sparkled in amusement and with something else Ryuichi could not decipher. "They got the dangerous part right, but they are still disillusioned."

"I entered _Hellfire_ as 'Amanda', with the current me as my so called other personality, which only 'came out' when 'Amanda' was really angry." Xavier explained shortly. "As such, everyone in _Hellfire_ has come to think of me as 'Amanda's' other personality."

"But why? Why did you trick them?" Ryuichi questioned with narrowed blue eyes.

"Because it's fun. I'm an actor of sorts. I'm the type of person who desires excitement in my life. And I guess I wanted to test my acting skills; to see if I could get people to take me as a whole new persona." Xavier shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner. Ryuichi looked into his eyes, catching sight of the familiar sparkle which he was unable to identify. The singer frowned.

"Besides, they already know me as Xavier," the blond smirked, leaning forward towards Ryuichi. Bloodlust swirled like the makings of a tornado in Xavier's eyes. The singer backed away, afraid. An excited grin crossed Xavier's face at Ryuichi's frightened expression. He slammed his hands onto the wall, trapping the singer against the bedpost.

Mad crimson met fearful sapphire. "A ruthless killer. The first time I 'came out', I killed everyone around me. I didn't leave a single person alive." Xavier hissed, crimson eyes dancing with glee.

_"You shouldn't ask so many questions, Ryu-chan."_

Ryuichi stared at the gleam of insanity in Xavier's green eyes as the flashback appeared in his mind. A breathless whisper escaped his lips. "You're insane."

Xavier smirked, unashamed. "Aren't I? I can't help it _Ryu-chan_, I was born this way." He licked his lips like a serial killer would lick his knife after the demise of a victim. "A _killer_."

Fear clutched Ryuichi's spine, its hands packed with the force of a vice-like grip. Cold fingers gripped his backbone, and goose bumps pattered across his pale skin. _"Why am I so afraid? It's just Xavier. Even if it's not really Xavier..."_

The singer resisted the urge to shiver. Ryuichi bit his lip as hard as Xavier's sharp nails were raking into the bedpost, forcing the incomprehensible fear to the back of his mind. Blue eyes flashed angrily. "Get off me Xavier."

Xavier grinned maliciously. "Why should I?" He brought his lips close to Ryuichi's, drawn out breath passing over Ryuichi's lips. Balefulness suffocated any remains of light heartedness floating about in the atmosphere. "You know, you're looking mighty _delicious_ right now. I wonder how your blood would taste like?" Claw like nails ripped their attention away from the bed post to a more appealing victim. Ryuichi winced as they brushed his pale cheek in a deceptively gentle manner.

"No..." Ryuichi whispered, trembling. Blue eyes rose to meet callous green as images of Xavier laughing, grinning, ruffling his hair playfully, materialized in his mind. "Please, no. Remember yourself, Xavier. I...I trust you."

Green eyes blinked at the words. Slowly, as if being brought out of a trance, Xavier retreated. He withdrew his hands from the bedpost and Ryuichi, green eyes wide and disbelieving. "You...trust me?"

Ryuichi nodded, getting up shakily as Xavier moved away. He met Xavier's incredulous stare with his own determined blue one. "You're my friend, Xavier. I trust you."

Xavier smiled grimly. "You shouldn't trust a killer, Ryuichi." The blond got up from the bed. Green eyes turned their sombre gaze to the floor. The killer's words bordered on inaudible. "But...thank you. No one has ever trusted me before."

Ryuichi smiled comfortingly. "Well, they should! You're a great friend, Xavier!" The singer smirked mischievously, closing one blue eye. "So don't look so sad okay? You know I hate seeing my friends sad."

Xavier blinked, before giving a wide grin. "Hey, you stole my phrase!" He trapped Ryuichi in a headlock, ruffling the singer's hair. "You naughty little singer!"

Ryuichi laughed as Xavier messed up his hair. "Hey, hey, stop Xavier! I can't see!"

Xavier grinned, before letting go of Ryuichi, watching the vocalist fix his hair. "Hey, Ryu?"

"Yeah?" Ryuichi replied, as he patted down brown locks carefully.

"I'm sorry for losing control." Xavier whispered, guilt eating up his insides.

_"I'm sorry."_

Paying no mind to a certain person's guilt-filled words, Ryuichi gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay Vie-chan!" He laughed cheerfully, waving a hand dismissively. "I mean, you didn't hurt me or anything, na no da!"

Xavier's lips curved into a smile that exuded relief and an inexplicable sadness. "I know. But I'm still sorry." Stepping towards Ryuichi, he wrapped his arms around the singer's slender back, drawing a surprised Ryuichi into a hug.

"I will never hurt you, Ryuichi." Xavier whispered fiercely. He held the singer in his arms tightly, almost painfully, meeting green with blue. He took care not to let his sharp nails damage the singer's back.

For a moment, all Ryuichi could do was blink in surprise. Realizing that Xavier was being serious, the singer smiled. His features softened and at the same time, hardened into those of the adult and famously known sex god he became on stage. With slight hesitance, Ryuichi brought his own arms to wrap around Xavier, gripping his friend's back firmly.

"I know." The brown haired man said simply, locking narrow blue with serious green.

Xavier smiled back gratefully. He removed his arms from around Ryuichi with a touch of reluctance, stepping back. "Well, I guess we better go back, huh?"

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow in slight disbelief. "You have to take off your disguise first, Xavier."

"Oh," Xavier blinked, before smiling sheepishly. "I forgot."

Ryuichi smirked, watching as Xavier removed the skirt, blouse, padding on his chest, wig, contacts and the choker around his neck. "You can borrow Tatsuha's clothes." The brunette informed, pointing to the closet.

Xavier nodded, moving over to the closet and donning a black T-shirt and leather pants with silver chains dangling from the pockets. He smirked, grabbing his golden whip. The actor pressed a blue button on the handle of the weapon. Ryuichi watched in amazement as the leather was pulled back into darkness in the hilt of the weapon. There was a creaking sound as heavy golden metal lifted from where they had been plastered to the handle of the weapon to form a hilt and a deadly looking blade shot out with a swish.

"Wow..." The singer breathed in awe.

Ryuichi advanced towards Xavier to have a look at the new weapon. The brunette stared at the golden handle decorated with buttons of different colours and pictures of ferocious dragons, their mouths spitting fire. Precious jewels Ryuichi had never seen before were deeply embedded into the hilt with golden dragon wings on each side, curving splendidly to circle a diamond of obsidian black in the middle.

Blue eyes moved to the shimmering sapphire blade, coated with a sheen of shining silver. Silvery sapphire deviated to form sharp and menacing spikes. The edge of the blade curled like an enraged snake, giving off a dangerous glimmer.

"It looks like something out of one of Shuichi's games!"

Xavier smirked with pride. "It's cool, isn't it?" The blue haired man drawled, swiping his tongue across the sapphire blade. "_This_ is my _real_ weapon."

"You're a swordsman?"

"Yeah, and so is Shade," Xavier grinned, chuckling. "Maybe that's why we get along so well."

Ryuichi's eyebrows furrowed. His forehead creased with lines. "Oh. Does Tatsuha know...?""

Xavier shook his head. "No he doesn't." The blue haired man made his way to the door, his sword in his hand. "Let's go Ryuichi."

Ryuichi nodded. "Alright." The singer followed the actor out of the room, musing.

_"Am I the only one who knows?"_

* * *

"You alright, Shade?"

"I'm fine, Jeff."

"Really? You look kind of, err, disconcerted. Is it because you're worried about Sakuma?"

"No, it's not that. I know Xavier and I know he won't hurt Ryuichi."

"...If you say so."

"Eiri! Eiri! Ryuichi's not back yet! Do you think he's alright?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I don't give a damn about that idiotic singer."

"What? Eiri how could you be so cold?!"

"Shut up brat. I just want to go back to fucking Japan already."

"Ryuichi is not back yet. I should not have let him leave with that dangerous man."

"Don't worry Tohma! I'm sure Ryu-chan's alright. I mean, if it was really dangerous Tatsuha wouldn't have let him leave."

"I doubt it. Tatsuha has always been a wayward delinquent. Now that he is of a high position with power in his hands... He may be an adult now, but he still possesses the mind of a teenager. I dare not imagine the consequences of such power in the hands of a child."

"For once, I disagree with you. That's not true, Tohma! Tatsuha has matured greatly compared to how he was before, and you yourself know it! He's a capable adult, who is more mature than most of those his age and even those who are older than him. Why are you so against him, Tohma?!"

"...He took Ryuichi away from us, Noriko."

"I know, but that's not the only reason, is it? Don't change the subject, Tohma."

"I am not-"

Chatter in the living room was disrupted by the sound of footsteps. Eiri, Shuichi, Tohma, Noriko, K, Tatsuha and Jeffrey all looked up as Xavier and Ryuichi entered the room.

"Ryuichi!" Shuichi exclaimed in delight at the return of his idol. He sprang from his seat, and was about to pounce onto the brown haired singer when his blond lover pulled him roughly back."Eiri!"

Ignoring Shuichi's indignant yells, Eiri dumped the pink haired singer back onto his seat, keeping his hand on his husband's collar in case he tried to defy the blond's unspoken order. Shuichi pouted unhappily, glowering. The blond raised an eyebrow. Golden eyes pierced into the blue haired stranger. "Who are you?"

Xavier blinked, before smirking. "Me? Why, I'm none other than Xavier Rain, of course." He declared arrogantly. The killer turned to Tatsuha. "Didn't you explain things to them, Shade?"

Tatsuha nodded, a smirk on his face. "I did. They just don't know what you look like." Out of nowhere, obsidian eyes narrowed warningly. "You didn't hurt Ryuichi, did you?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow, grinning widely. "Of course not! Why would I ever hurt my cute little Ryu?"

Wrapping an arm around the singer's waist, Xavier placed a wet kiss on Ryuichi's cheek, causing the singer to flush.

"Xavier! How many times do I have to tell you?! I am not yours!" Ryuichi protested, blushing, blue eyes glowering. "Do not just kiss me out of the blue!"

"You've only told me once, well, twice, so far. Besides, what's a little kiss on the cheek to a sex god like you?" Xavier grinned in amusement, ruffling brown locks of hair. Retrieving his hand from Ryuichi's now messy hair, he smirked, stepping back from the annoyed singer and bowing to his waist. "But your wish is my command, Sleepless Beauty."

Removing his arm from Ryuichi's waist, the blue hair man winked one red eye at the embarrassed singer before taking his place next to Tatsuha.

Ryuichi glared at his smirking friend. His cheeks red with embarassment and frustration, he moved to sit down beside Noriko, who turned to him with a teasing smile.

"Sleepless Beauty?" Ryuichi resisted the urge to wince at the mischief in his best friend's eyes. "You have such a romantic boyfriend, Ryu-chan! Oh I am so jealous!"

The vocalist let out a groan of exasperation at his keyboardist's words as she swooned. "He is _not_ my boyfriend, Nori-chan!"

"What?! I'm hurt, Ryuichi!" Xavier exclaimed from his position on the opposite couch, amusement shimmering in crimson eyes. He brought a hand to clutch his heart in a painful grip, crimson eyes exuding sadness in waves. "How lowly you speak of our love!"

"XAVIER!"

Xavier smirked, and was about to give his favourite singer a torturous reply when a cool, calm voice questioned. "So, you are Xavier Rain, Amanda Rain's other personality?"

Xavier blinked. He nodded to Tohma. "That is correct."

"I see," Tohma spoke, green eyes cold. "I suppose you would not mind telling us why you and Amanda-san look and sound so different?"

"Well, that's easy. This has always been my and Amanda's original appearance. He just decided one day that he wanted to be a girl," Xavier explained, smirking. "He succeeded somewhat, but I stopped him when I found out; killed all the fucking operators and ran out of the building. I am a guy after all."

"So that idiot decided to turn himself into a girl, to the point of changing his voice with a voice changer. Amanda paraded around in his girl disguise, until one day I snapped. I threw off that disgusting wig and those girly clothes, and that fucking voice changer," Xavier grinned maniacally. "And well, you should know what happened next."

Xavier chuckled at the speechless people before him. Leaning back against the couch, he gave Ryuichi a wink. The singer blinked, before smiling awkwardly in return.

"Hey Xavier, this may sound weird and a little perverted, but what happened to your, or rather, Amanda's chest?"

Xavier turned his attention to the curious Tatsuha, smirking. "I binded them," he said simply. "I've been getting tired of being reminded that my body is half female now, you know?"

Tatsuha nodded, though there was a hint of doubt in his black eyes. "I see."

"So, am I correct to assume you're a ruthless killer?" Tohma finally brought up.

"Well, yeah," Xavier shrugged nonchalantly. "As if that wasn't already obvious from the beginning."

"And that's the exact reason why I wanted Xavier and not _Amanda,_ to swear the oath." K hissed scathingly.

Xavier smirked. "You know me so well, _Claude._" He drawled mockingly.

The blue haired man turned to Tohma. "You heard him. So hurry up and tell me what you want me to swear before I decide to kill everyone in Japan." Xavier grinned evilly, as he spun his sword around his hand with expertise. The killer licked his lips hungrily. "My blade's already thirsting for human blood."

Tohma turned to Tatsuha, disbelief in his eyes and incredulity in his tone. "You want me to let this _monster_ into Japan?"

Tatsuha grinned reassuringly, lifting shoulders up in a casual shrug. "It'll be fine, Seguchi. No member of _Hellfire_ will ever break an oath, no matter how _bloodthirsty_ he or she is."

"And if he does, well, I'll kill him for you, if you like. It's the penalty for breaking an oath anyway."

Xavier raised an eyebrow at Tatsuha's words. Grinning deviously, the actor placed his hand on his heart, squeezing crimson eyes shut painfully. "Oh how you hurt me with your heartless words, Shade!"

Tatsuha rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "Yeah right. You're a horrible actor, Xavier."

Xavier just smirked.

Tohma stared at them with a mixture of wonder and disgust. Deciding not to bother figuring the two men out, he sighed. "Fine. I want you to swear to never harm anyone in Japan and anyone in this room with your weapons, unless in a situation of extreme peril."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "What's with the extra bit? 'Cause I'm afraid that isn't possible."

Green eyes narrowed in distaste. "And why is it not possible?"

"You know, there's _Claude_, there's Shade here whom I would love to duel with, there's, well, _you_."

Tohma gritted his teeth in frustration. "Who are you willing to swear to _not_ harm, then?"

Xavier pondered for a moment. Crimson eyes turned their gaze to the ceiling. "Well, obviously I would never harm my sweet little Ryu, I would never harm that pretty purple haired lady over there that seems to be protective over Ryu-chan, I would never harm...well, I would never harm any of Ryu's friends."

Tohma stared at the blue haired man incredulously. "_All _of us in this room are Ryuichi's friends."

Xavier blinked in surprise. "Really? Even Mr Cold Bastard over there?" He pointed to the other blond in the room.

Eiri narrowed golden eyes. "I am _not _that id-Mmphff!"

Shuichi smiled nervously at Xavier, his hand cupped firmly over his glaring husband's mouth. "Of course! Eiri is Ryu-chan's friend too!"

"Oh," Crimson eyes blinked in realization. Xavier shrugged. "Well, that's okay then. I won't even have to swear not to hurt any of you."

"Why is that so?"

Xavier smiled genuinely at a surprised Tohma, crimson eyes softening in fond memory. "A kind person like Ryuichi can only have kind friends." The blond blinked and the blue haired killer smirked. "Well, with the exception of me, of course!"

Tohma nodded. His green eyes had lost some of their coldness. "Alright. Please proceed with your oath then, Xavier."

Xavier nodded, grinning. The blue haired actor directed his shimmering sapphire blade towards the direction of his heart. Crimson eyes closed.

"I, Xavier Rain, proud member of _Hellfire_, swear on my blade and my pride as an infamous ruthless killer, to never harm anyone in Japan unless in a situation of extreme peril. This I swear in the name of _Hellfire._"

"Alright." Tohma could not help but give a small sigh of relief. "We're finally done. Let's proceed to Japan now, shall we?"

Xavier's eyes snapped open and he grinned excitedly. "Yeah, Japan! Let's go!"

"...You will be coming with us?"

"What about Amanda, Xavier?"

Xavier smirked. "Well, yeah. As for Amanda, Shade, he, or rather, she, told me I could have the next few days for, and I quote, _behaving so well_." He said simply.

Tatsuha blinked. "Oh." _"They actually talk to each other?"_

"Yeah, so let's stop wasting time here and get going!" Xavier declared impatiently.

Eiri smirked. "Finally; someone who agrees with me."

Xavier grinned, and was about to dash off to the door when Tatsuha shouted. "Wait!"

The blue haired man turned curiously. "What?"

Tatsuha smiled in vague amusement. "You have to hide your sword," Xavier blinked. "Wait here, I'll let you borrow one of my sheaths and trench coats."

Crimson eyes followed the black haired man as he walked away. Sighing, Xavier collapsed onto the couch, lifting his sword into the air. "Geez, why do I have to hide such a cool sword?!" The actor mourned.

"Yeah!" The blue haired man blinked as a pink haired singer materialized in front of him. "Your sword is so cool! Can I hold it? Please?"

Xavier thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Fine. You have to be careful with it though. 'Cause I'll kill you if you damage it."

Shuichi nodded eagerly, gulping a little at Xavier's threat as the swordsman handed his weapon over. The pink haired singer studied the sword in his hands in awe, fingering the sharp blade gingerly. "Wow, the blade is blue?! Oh wait, it has some silver too. Oh and are those _buttons_ I see?"

"Don't touch them, unless you want to die by electric shock." Xavier warned.

Shuichi stared. "You mean you can give an electric shock to someone with this sword?! That is _so cool!_"

Xavier cringed slightly at the sudden burst of volume in Shuichi's voice. He sweat dropped, before turning to the irritated blond beside him. "Doesn't he have any other words in his dictionary besides _cool_?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Hardly."

Xavier smirked teasingly. "So how does a cold bastard like you put up with him?"

Eiri narrowed his eyes, smirking. "I don't. He practically forces himself on me."

"What?! Eiri how could you say that?!"

"Because it's true. ...Stop giving me those pathetic puppy eyes."

"But Eiri....!"

Xavier grinned in amusement as he watched the dysfunctional couple. "You have highly amusing friends, Ryu-chan."

Ryuichi snapped out of his reverie at Xavier's comment. The singer blinked cutely, smiling. "Um, thanks, na no da!"

Xavier stared, before slapping a hand to his forehead and groaning in mock agony. "Why isn't it illegal to be that cute?!"

"Hey, Xavier?" Noriko spoke up.

Crimson eyes blinked, before Xavier turned his attention to the purple haired woman sitting next to the still blinking Ryuichi. "Yes, My Lady?"

Noriko giggled. "Oh, you don't have to use such a formal term, though it is nice hearing it from such a handsome gentleman like you." The purple haired keyboardist grinned brightly. "Just call me Noriko!"

"Well, I didn't know your name, so it seemed only appropriate," Xavier grinned charmingly. "But thanks, beautiful."

The purple haired woman giggled flirtatiously as the blue haired man winked at her playfully. "Oh Xavier! I thought you would never notice!"

Xavier smirked. "How could I not notice your splendid figure and beautiful hair?" The actor purred seductively, leaning forward. "You're _gorgeous_, Noriko."

"Oh you flatter me Xavier!" Noriko grinned shyly, winking. "You're quite the lady charmer, aren't you? Are you also able to charm men, by any chance?"

Xavier blinked, before catching sight of the mischievous glint in Noriko's brown eyes. He grinned, closing one red eye. "Oh yes, I've managed to bring quite a few home with me, if you catch my drift."

A certain blond blinked, as he listened to the conversation. Green eyes caught sight of the apprehensive expression on a certain singer's face.

Tohma smiled. _"Poor Ryuichi."_

"As expected of such an attractive man like yourself!" Noriko smiled slyly, leaning forward as if to whisper a secret. "So tell me, have you managed to seduce our cute little Ryu-chan yet?"

"What?! Nori-chan!"

Xavier resisted the urge to grin widely at the highly flustered look on Ryuichi's face. Instead, the blue haired actor sighed sadly, bringing a hand to his heart.

"Well, no. You see, our cute little Ryu-chan is in fact quite cold in such affairs. He rejects all my advances with that freezing but totally sexy glare of his." Xavier lamented, depression in his tone.

The blue haired man gave Noriko a quick wink, before his crimson eyes turned sombre and he turned his gaze to the tabletop. Xavier sighed heavily, with a voice that spoke of deep torment. "My poor battered heart has been broken numerous times by my sweet love."

Noriko blinked at Xavier's emotional display. _"Wow, he's a brilliant actor. If I didn't know he was acting I would have totally believed him."_

Remembering her role, the purple haired woman widened brown eyes in a combination of disbelief and sympathy. "That's so cruel! How could he do that?!"

Xavier shrugged his shoulders in a weary motion. "I don't know really. Perhaps you should ask him, Noriko." Crimson eyes moved to meet brown eyes full of sympathy. Xavier stared pleadingly with only a gleam of amusement in his crimson eyes. "I...I would love to know before I decide to give up on my first and only love."

Noriko nodded in determination. "I will, Xavier!" She whirled around to face a stunned and gaping Ryuichi. "Ryu-chan!"

"Ryu-chan, no, Ryuichi, how could you leave this poor man so painfully heartbroken?!"

It took a minute for Ryuichi to get his vocal cords working again. "W-What? I didn't do such a thing, Nori-chan!" The singer protested.

Noriko growled like a provoked animal. "Oh really? Then, how do you explain this!?" She pointed towards the devastated Xavier.

Xavier smiled sadly. "It's fine, Noriko. If Ryu doesn't want to tell me, I will respect his decision," the blue haired actor sighed, leaning back against soft leather and moving his crimson gaze to the ceiling.

"I still can't help but wonder why though. Am I not good enough for the great Sakuma Ryuichi?" Crimson eyes stared dismally into the far distance. A single tear fell. Xavier smiled bitterly. "It must be so. I am nothing but a heartless killer, after all. I am no one fit to hold the prestigious position of Sakuma Ryuichi's lover."

Ryuichi could only stare, speechless, at the sight before him. "_Why is he crying!? He's only acting, right?!"_

"Look, Ryuichi! You made a _heartless killer_ _cry_! How could you be so...so...so _heartless_!?" Noriko sputtered, incredulous.

A certain tall blond smirked. _"A heartless killer crying, huh? Looks like I may have a new idea for my novel."_

"I told you I never did such a thing! He...He's only acting!" Ryuichi protested vehemently, thrusting a hand accusingly in Xavier's direction.

"What?! You expect me to believe that that broken soul is only _acting_!?" Noriko exclaimed scornfully, pointing to the crying Xavier.

"Acting, huh? It hurts..." Xavier stared blankly into the distance, lost in painful memories. Tears rolled down from crimson eyes. "To think that my lovely Ryu would think that my grief is part of an act..."

_"What the hell?"_ Ryuichi literally could not speak a word. After a moment of opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, the brunette managed to get his jaw working again. "T-Tohma!"

Tohma blinked in surprise. "Yes, Ryuichi?"

"Stop him, please!" Ryuichi felt a sense of déjà vu overcome him at the words.

Tohma opened his mouth, before sweat dropping as Noriko glared at him with an unusually evil smirk on her pretty face. "Err...I..."

Ryuichi stared at him with pleading blue eyes, almost as effective as Shuichi's. "Please, Tohma!"

Tohma sighed. _"How did I get myself involved in this?" _The blond was about to open his mouth when Tatsuha entered the living room with two trench coats, one on his shoulders and the other in his hands with a silver sheath resting on top.

The black haired man raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. He stared at the crying Xavier, pleading Ryuichi, glaring Noriko and confused and apprehensive Tohma. "I'm gone for a moment and you guys have managed to produce another bizarre situation."

"Just what is happening here, Jeffrey?"

The red haired man blinked as his Boss stared at him intently. He shrugged. "Hey, I don't know! That purple haired woman- Noriko, was it? Yeah, Noriko; she and Xavier were flirting with each other when she suddenly asked Xavier if he had managed to seduce Sakuma yet. He got all sad and told Noriko that Sakuma rejected his advances and broke his heart, and well, one thing led to another and soon he got all teary eyed and started crying!"

Black eyes blinked. "Um, ok." The dark haired man moved over to the crying blue haired man. "Hey Xavier, are you alright?"

Xavier looked up at Tatsuha with tearful crimson eyes. Tatsuha blinked. He had never seen Xavier cry before, and doubted anyone had. It was strange.

"Am I alright?! Of course I'm not alright!" Xavier glared disdainfully, before burying his head in his hands and wailing pitifully. "My sweet little Ryu broke my heart!"

"...Huh?"

Eiri's eyes narrowed. "Alright, at first it was amusing, but now it's getting irritating!" The blond scowled in annoyance. "Xavier, was it? You better stop your pathetic display now before I make you!"

Xavier looked up, shooting daggers at his friend's brother. Narrowed golden met blood red. Silence reigned in the air as the two men contended with each other.

Finally, Xavier sighed. He blinked, and Tatsuha watched in bewilderment as the tears in his eyes disappeared completely.

The actor smirked, running a hand through his blue hair. His crimson eyes radiated confidence once again."I guess it's time to stop, huh? Oh well, it was fun while it lasted."

"Damn right." Eiri muttered.

"Wh-What? Wait; you were acting!?" Tatsuha stuttered, black eyes wide, almost dropping the items he was carrying in his surprise.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Of course. You didn't think I was really crying, did you?"

Ryuichi glowered, blue eyes tinted with frustration. "That's what I was saying all along!" The singer frowned. "And Nori-chan didn't believe me!"

Noriko grinned, brown eyes devoid of anger now that the act was over. "Well of course I didn't, Ryu-chan! I was acting too!"

Ryuichi's blue eyes widened in astonishment. "You were!?"

"Yup!" The purple haired keyboardist smirked, crushing her best friend in a hug. She giggled playfully. "It's just so fun to fluster you!"

Planting a kiss onto the stunned Ryuichi's cheek, Noriko turned to her accomplice mischievously. "Right, Xavier?"

Xavier nodded, smirking. "Yeah. Sorry Ryu, I couldn't resist. You're adorable when you're embarrassed, you know?"

Ryuichi shook himself out of his stupor at the familiar words. He glared, scowling. "I hate you."

Xavier merely grinned, leaning forward to tousle brown bangs. "Awww, c'mon Ryu! Surely you don't mean that! We were just playing around!"

Ryuichi huffed. "Fine. I don't hate you, but I swear I will never fall for one of your tricks again!"

Xavier blinked as narrowed blue eyes stared at him in confidence and determination. The blue haired man smirked cockily. "Is that a challenge, Ryu?"

Ryuichi nodded seriously. Xavier's smirk widened. "Well, prepared to be proven wrong then!"

The brown haired singer blinked at the glint of trickery in Xavier's resolute eyes. _"Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I better keep my guard up from now on."_

_"Ryuichi's not really my boyfriend. I just love to tease him. He's too adorable to resist!"_

Tatsuha started with dazed eyes as the words rang in his mind. _"Amanda...?"_

_"I couldn't resist Ryu-chan; you're adorable when you blush!"_

_"Sorry Ryu, I couldn't resist. You're adorable when you're embarrassed, you know?"_

The raven haired man blinked. _"Amanda and Xavier; their words are so similar. They are practically identical, actually. The only difference is that Amanda's words are more girlish sounding while Xavier, well, talks like a guy."_

_"Awww, c'mon Ryu-chan! Lighten up! We were just playing!"_

_"Awww, c'mon Ryu! Surely you don't mean that! We were just playing around!"_

_"Yeah, they're the same, alright," _Tatsuha thought, frowning in concentration. _"But why?"_

"Hey Shade," a suave, smooth sounding voice shook Tatsuha out of his reverie. He stared as Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to give me the sheath and trench coat, or do you want me to snatch them from you or something?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," Tatsuha handed the items over to Xavier. "Sorry, I spaced out for a moment there."

Xavier smirked. "It's alright. I mean, everyone knows how prone you are to daydreaming."

Tatsuha watched as Xavier donned the black trench coat. The blue haired man sheathed his sword, hanging it from one of the belt loops on his leather pants. He shackled it to one of the silver chains, binding it carefully.

_"Xavier's confident, arrogant and rude while Amanda's cheerful, sweet and teasing." _Tatsuha mused, eyebrows creasing in confusion. _"How can two totally different people be so similar?"_

_"You didn't think I was really crying, did you?"_

_"And it seems that Xavier's a great actor; he had me and Jeffrey completely fooled."_ Tatsuha pondered upon the fact, before a realization hit him. Black eyes widened.

_"Unless...could it be?"_

"Hey Boss," Jeffrey's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Tatsuha blinked. "You coming with us? We're setting off already."

Tatsuha nodded, as he followed his second-in-command out of his house after the others. The black haired man felt his blood run cold at the fact of something he never imagined could be possible.

_"Could it be...that they're the **exact **same person?"_

* * *

_Author's Note_

_Well, that's it for this chapter. I apologize for the late update, and the slow pace of the plot. I am also sorry for the lack of interesting and good descriptions, the repititive words and if you thought that the characters were out of character. It has been too long a time since I've last written for this story, so I've lost some of my skills, so to speak. And I apologize for that. The next chapter will probably be better. I have already written it, and I am quite satisfied with it. I hope you guys will be too._

_Anyway, I will post the next chapter next week. Hopefully it won't be overdue, like this chapter... I guess I'll see you then!_


	14. Chapter 13: Reconcilement

_Author's Note_

_**To blueberry: **He does, doesn't he? Haha, poor thing. Let's hope he'd get to enjoy 'shows' in the future, yes? Though I think there's going to be one scene in future where he's going to be absent, again._

_Yes, they are. It is because they both share one thing in common; their hobby of teasing poor Ryuichi. Haha. Anyway Noriko looked like she could be a good actor; I remember there was this scene in the anime where she pretended to cry because K 'abandoned the innocent Ryuichi for the new target Shuichi'. Haha. And everyone was puzzled, until she stopped her act and claimed she was joking. So I thought she had the potential to be a good actor. As for Xavier, well I don't have to say much, with all the recent overdose of information about him. He is pretty much a professional already._

_I'm glad you thought it was interesting. I apologize for background information on Xavier/Amanda being so lengthy; I just had to get it over with; lest I forget about it in the future. Warm weather? Do you mean real warm weather? Haha, we have warm weather here everyday..._

_I went and listened to that song. It isn't too bad, I guess, but it's just not my type. Sorry. No offense to you, who probably loves it. Anyway, I don't dream Tatsuha is real and causes trouble, I dream **I'm** Tatsuha, thought I seldom get to cause trouble...sigh. But I'm sure your dreams are fun, I envy you..._

_Well, that is all. I apologize for the late update, been losing motivation lately. I hope you will enjoy the chapter!_

**Warnings: Gender bender, crossdressing(?), use of profanity, possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation, Maki Murakami does. I only own Amanda/Xavier, Jeffrey, Lionel, Mirai, Bianca, Miss Star, Kate and Dean.**

**Notes for this chapter: Nothing much, except that it's kind of an interlude, to give a sort of insight into what the other characters are thinking. The ending isn't, though. Also, I have realized the description of Tohma's plane contrasts greatly with the brief one I gave when it was first sighted in the first few chapters. Thus I have gone back to change it, as I did not plan it in advance.**

* * *

The group arrived at the airport in which Tohma's private jet was parked in. Eiri, Shuichi, Ryuichi, Tohma and Noriko exited Tohma's car, while Jeffrey, Tatsuha, Xavier and K alighted from Tatsuha's silver Mercedes.

"Tohma!" The keyboardist turned curious eyes at an excited Ryuichi, who was pulling an equally enthusiastic Shuichi with him. The two singers had reinstated their friendship during the ride, and had been chatting animatedly the whole way, as if they had never been separated at all.

"Yes Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi beamed, azure eyes shining behind black sunglasses. Tohma had insisted that they needed to be in disguise, even Tatsuha, Jeffrey and Xavier. "Where's your plane, na no da?" The singer gave a giggle, smiling widely. "I want to see it! Shu-chan told me it was really cool!"

Tohma smiled as Ryuichi rocked with anticipation on the balls of his feet. He lifted his head towards the interior of the airport, pointing to their destination with a slender finger. "It's in the airport, of course."

"Really? I bet it must be really big!" Ryuichi grinned with excitement, before dragging Shuichi in the direction of the airport. "Let's go Shu-chan!"

Shuichi gave a cheerful grin. "Okay!"

Tohma blinked as the two vocalists disappeared off into the direction of the airport. "Wait!" He called out to the retreating figures, holding out a hand as a signal for them to stop. "You don't know where it is!"

"Shu-chan will recognize it, na no da!" A distant yell echoed back.

Tohma sighed as Ryuichi and Shuichi vanished out of sight. He brushed his fingers across his temple, a fond smile on his lips. The blond chuckled with amusement. "That Ryuichi..."

Noriko grinned brightly from beside him, laughing. "Ryu-chan will never change, right Tohma?"

Tohma let a small grin cross his lips. "That's right, Noriko."

The blond then turned to his company, smiling genially. "Well then, shall we get going?"

* * *

Ryuichi and Shuichi roamed around the busy airport filled with bustling people. The former was smiling, azure eyes bright as they took in their surroundings.

"It's been such a long time since I've last been to an airport, na no da!" Ryuichi smiled happily, leading Shuichi around the busy place. The singer turned to his companion. "Do you see Tohma's plane, Shu-chan?"

Violet eyes blinked as they scanned the airport for the particular aircraft. Shuichi shook his head. "No, Sakuma-san-" The pink haired singer gulped as Ryuichi directed a glare at him, a scowl on his lips. "I-I mean, Ryu-chan."

Even after five years, Shuichi still felt it a little weird to call Ryuichi with such a familiar term. He could not help but feel that he was probably the only person in Japan who addressed their idol by their first name or a nickname, with the exception of Tatsuha. Although he was quite used to it by now, force of habit occasionally sent him back to formality.

Ryuichi smiled, disapproval vanishing from azure eyes. "Oh, maybe it's further in the airport then!" The brunette ventured further in, tugging Shuichi along with him. "Let's go, Shu-chan!"

Shuichi nodded, a smile on his face, which soon turned into a worried frown as he realized he didn't recognize the area Ryuichi had led them into. "Um, I think we're lost, Ryuichi."

The singer stopped in his tracks at Shuichi's words, turning to the pink haired vocalist with surprised blue eyes. "What? D-Does that mean we won't be able to see Tohma's plane, na no da?"

Shuichi panicked as those azure eyes filled with tears. "No Ryu-chan! I-um, I'll call Tohma okay?" The singer nodded, biting his lip. Shuichi fished his phone out of his pocket, before dialling Tohma's number.

"Hello? Shuichi?" Tohma's calm voice answered the phone after a few rings.

"Tohma, um," Shuichi eyed the worried Ryuichi. "I think Ryuichi and I are lost."

There was a pause on the other end, before Tohma replied. "...Where are you?"

Shuichi glanced around for something that would direct Tohma. He felt Ryuichi's hand tug on his, and turned curious amethyst eyes to the signboard the singer was pointing at.

"Shuichi?" Tohma's voice sounded into his ear.

"We're at Terminal 5 I think." Shuichi read out the words on the signboard.

There was a sigh, before Tohma spoke. "Alright, I'm coming to get you two. Don't move."

A click sounded as Tohma hung up. Shuichi sighed, leaning against a nearby wall, pocketing his phone. "I guess we'll have to wait..."

Ryuichi blinked. "Shu-chan?"

Shuichi turned to the anxious brunette with a reassuring smile. "Tohma's coming, Ryuichi. He told us to wait for him here."

"Oh okay!" Ryuichi grinned, pulling out Kumagoro from seemingly out of nowhere. He snuggled the toy to his chest, squeezing it tightly. "At least I have Kuma-chan!"

Shuichi smiled as he watched his idol play with the pink bunny. The brown haired singer was the picture of happiness, azure eyes sparkling brightly as their owner made Kumagoro dance, speaking to the bunny as if it was alive. A content smile shone on Ryuichi's face.

However, the pink haired singer had become much more perceptive over the years, due to being Eiri's life mate. The blond novelist never expressed what he truly felt, instead showing his feelings through little actions and gestures. Shuichi had gotten used to Eiri's style of showing affection, and was practically an expert in Eiri's personal language.

Eiri was his lover, cold, snappy and rude. Ryuichi was Shuichi's idol, happy, bright, and always smiling. Very few similarities could be found between the two people's personalities, but Shuichi could see a distinct one. It was perhaps the only similarity Eiri and Ryuichi shared; the both of them wore masks to protect them from the harsh reality of the world.

Eiri wore the mask of a cold and heartless bastard and Ryuichi had adopted the facade of the happy go lucky singer. But while Eiri had utilized his for so long that it had become a part of him, Ryuichi could turn his on and off at will. He was a great actor, and no one had suspected a thing.

Of course, there had been times when Ryuichi had been genuinely happy. Looking back, Shuichi realized those times had existed in the past, when he had first met his idol. Throughout the years, Ryuichi's cheerfulness had faded, and he subconsciously turned what had once been real into a facade. Shuichi suspected it was because of Ryuichi's kind and caring nature; he did not want to worry his friends by showing his inner turmoil.

Shuichi's heart ached for the other singer, but he could not do anything. If he revealed the truth of what he really knew to Ryuichi, the brunette would feel troubled that someone was able to see past his perfect image, and would only continue to build it up even more. That would only lead to more emotions bottled up and more heart pains for Ryuichi, and that was the last thing Shuichi wanted for his friend.

So the pink haired singer decided that the best thing he could do for Ryuichi was smile and laugh along with him, and play along with his antics. It was what Ryuichi wanted, and Shuichi would give his idol anything he asked for. In a way, he was putting on a mask of his own, though his had been crafted with a conscious and set mind and only for Ryuichi, and Ryuichi alone.

Feeling unusually old, Shuichi sighed, turning violet eyes to the child like Ryuichi. "Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi blinked azure eyes, pausing in Kumagoro's dance to gaze curiously at Shuichi. "Yes, Shu-chan?"

At first glance, the singer looked like he was hiding nothing; a positively blinding smile graced his lips and his wide blue eyes exuded happiness. But as Shuichi looked closer, he could see a glimmer of worry in the singer's eyes, as his small hands tightened the slightest bit on his favourite toy.

"Shu-chan?" Ryuichi repeated, smile wavering slightly as Shuichi stared at him with almost stern amethyst eyes.

"_Simple, that's because he's the __**fucking enemy**__ himself."_

Shuichi thought back to Ryuichi's out of character exhibition back at Tatsuha's house, at the anger in blazing sapphire orbs. Contrary to popular belief, Shuichi was not an idiot. He could see clearly that something was bothering Ryuichi greatly; something to do with Tatsuha, who had most likely pushed Ryuichi to the breaking point. Shuichi had never seen Ryuichi so angry before, not even when he had demanded for him to get out of the way when he had sung his idol's song. The singer shivered. He had actually been frightened of Ryuichi then.

"Did...anything happen?" The pink haired singer voiced hesitantly, gazing at his idol with concern in his eyes.

Ryuichi cocked his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. Fingernails dug into soft fabric. "What do you mean, na no da?"

Shuichi hesitated at Ryuichi's tense form. "_Did Tatsuha do anything to you?" _Was what he wanted to say, but decided against it as he remembered Ryuichi's burst of anger. He did not want to ask his friend a question that would only provoke him to become more emotionally unstable than he already was. Besides, Tohma had already asked that question once, in a slightly different manner.

Shuichi smiled. "It's nothing," the pink haired singer said, putting his curiosity at bay and shoving his worry to the back of his mind. "It's just my imagination; I'm a little tired after the exhausting day."

Ryuichi blinked. "Oh okay, na no da." Thoughts whirled around in the singer's mind, before he spoke. "I-I'm sorry you had to come and get me."

Shuichi blinked in confusion, before smiling widely. "It's okay! I mean, I didn't find it troublesome or anything." The singer smiled softly, gazing into blue eyes full of guilt. "We all care about you, Ryuichi, even Eiri. He just doesn't want to show it. We're...We're really glad you're safe."

There was silence as Ryuichi processed Shuichi's words in his mind, his gaze turned to the floor. After a while, he lifted brown bangs. A radiant smile broke across Ryuichi's face and his beautiful azure eyes flooded with genuine happiness. "Thank you, Shuichi."

Shuichi smiled genuinely back, his own violet eyes shimmering with contentment. He was seeing the real Ryuichi; not the cute and childish Ryu-chan or the aloof and cool Sakuma, but Ryuichi, with all his barriers down for once. The sight took his breath away. "It's no problem!"

"I agree with Shuichi." Ryuichi and Shuichi jumped in surprise as a familiar, breezy voice reached their ears. They whirled around to where Tohma stood, smiling.

"We were all worried for you, Ryuichi." The blond confirmed Shuichi's statement with a smile. "You've been missing for about three days, so to finally have you back is a great relief. We were not at all troubled by the prospect of having to fly to America to get you back."

Tohma chuckled with vague amusement. "We were quite ecstatic to find out where you were, actually."

Tohma blinked as tears started to form in Ryuichi's blue eyes. "Ryuichi?" _"Did I say something wrong?"_

"TOHMA!" The blond let out a slight yelp as Ryuichi tackled him, almost causing him to lose his perfect balance. The singer buried his face in his best friend's chest, sniffling. "I'm sorry for disappearing, na no da! And I missed you too!"

Tohma smiled comfortingly, bringing arms to wrap around Ryuichi's lithe form, running gentle fingers through his best friend's silky brown locks. "It's alright, Ryuichi. It wasn't your fault." He gave a small grin. "Besides, we have finally found out where Tatsuha has been staying for the past few years. Mika is going to be pleased when we come back. After she strangles him for departing in the first place, that is."

Ryuichi looked up, smiling, and the two friends shared a chuckle at the image of a furious Mika throttling the black haired Boss of _Hellfire_ by his neck, as he gagged helplessly. No need for an enemy organization to kill him; his own sister would graciously perform the deed herself.

"That sure does sound like Mika-san!" Ryuichi giggled, azure eyes shining with laughter.

Tohma smirked. "Doesn't it?" Disentangling himself from Ryuichi, he stepped away from the singer, turning to head in the direction of his plane. "Shall we get going?"

* * *

Eiri gave an annoyed scowl at the lack of Tohma, Shuichi and Ryuichi's presence. He glanced at his watch. "It's been about ten minutes. Why the hell are they taking so long?"

"Impatient as always, aren't you, brother?" Eiri almost started in surprise at Tatsuha's voice. The dark haired man strode to his brother's side, sunglasses in his hand, his feet making no sound as they moved.

The blond turned to his little brother, his customary scowl on his face. "What's it to you?" Irritated, he retrieved his cigarette and a lighter from the pockets of his coat. The small flame came to life with a small click. Eiri brought the flame to his cigarette, lighting it and bringing it to his lips, inhaling sweet nicotine.

"And it looks like you still haven't lost your bad temper," Tatsuha smirked. He raised an eyebrow as the blond copy of himself puffed little smoke trails into the air. "You still haven't quit smoking too. You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"What, did you expect me to?" Eiri raised both eyebrows, examining his long lost brother. Tatsuha was still about the same height, though he had maybe grown a few centimetres. He still had jet black hair, and confidence in his stance. A smug smirk was in place on his face. "You haven't changed much either."

Tatsuha stared disbelievingly at his brother. "I haven't changed much? Believe me, I've changed a lot." The black haired man gave a hollow laugh, the white in black eyes crumbling away into darkness. Shadowed emotions swirled around in empty black orbs. "I've killed people, Eiri." _"And raped someone; not just anyone either."_

Eiri raised an eyebrow, unaffected. "Really." He removed his cigarette from his lips and his sunglasses from his eyes, unravelling cat-like golden eyes which regarded Tatsuha intently. "You may be the Boss of some underground organization that I don't give a damn about, and a famous model as you claim, but in terms of personality you haven't changed at all."

"You're still the annoying little brother I knew," Eiri continued, golden eyes with a small hint of fondness in them staring at surprised black eyes. The blond novelist smirked. "And still know. Though since you're a Boss now, I suppose you've reached the same position as Mika and I. You've grown up from the delinquent teenager you were before. You've become an adult, Tatsuha. You're no longer a boy, but a man."

For a moment, all Tatsuha could do was stare at the rare smile on Eiri's lips with stunned black eyes. "Wow." He breathed, bringing up a hand to rub against the back of his head albeit embarrassedly. "I think that was the longest time you have ever spoken to me. It was deep too. I'm kind of touched..."

"As you should be." The smile on Eiri's lips changed into his trademark cocky smirk. "In case you've forgotten, I am a novelist, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha gave a smirk that was almost identical to his brother's. "Yeah, but you're a _romance_ novelist."

The blond novelist smiled. "Not anymore. I write for other genres now as well."

"EIRI!" A loud voice called from the far distance, interrupting the two brothers' conversation.

Eiri turned to see Shuichi running up to them from several metres away. The pink haired singer was smiling brightly as he raced to his love. Ryuichi and Tohma walked at a normal pace behind him, chatting mildly.

The blond novelist smirked. "Well, look who's finally back. I guess I'll see you later." Eiri brushed past his brother, swiping a hand across jet black hair in an almost affectionate gesture. A barely audible murmur escaped from his lips. "I'm proud of you, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha blinked, before the black haired man slowly raised a hand to finger raven locks. A genuine smile touched his lips. "Thank you, Eiri."

But the blond did not hear him. Tatsuha watched with a smile as his brother strode up to his pink haired husband, demanding in a rough voice what took him so long. Shuichi spouted apologies and played on Eiri's weakness; those puppy eyes that few could resist, leading to the blond scowling and stomping away from Shuichi. Tatsuha chuckled, knowing that his brother just did not want to show how truly affected he was by Shuichi's secret weapon.

Shuichi's eyes widened and he sprinted after his retreating blond husband, whining incessantly. "Eiri! Eiri! Wait up!"

"I've waited for long enough!" Eiri growled back with gritted teeth. He turned to Tohma, who was smiling in vague amusement as he made light banter with a happily grinning Ryuichi. "Tohma!"

The other blond blinked, turning his attention from Ryuichi to his brother in law. Green eyes regarded him curiously. "Yes, Eiri?"

"Can we just get on the damn plane already?!"

Tohma gave a mild smile, advancing forward. "Of course." The blond led the way towards the runway where his plane was parked, the rest of the group following in his footsteps.

* * *

The group strolled into the runway where Tohma's plane was parked at. They had taken off their sunglasses since there were few people around. A certain brown haired singer was the first to notice the giant object.

"Wow!" Ryuichi exclaimed, blue eyes wide at the sight of the wonder in front of him. "It's huge!"

Tohma's private plane was enormous. It was milky white in colour. Strips of curved gold assorted the sides of the body of the plane, while stripes of silver and slate gray adorned its massive tail and raced across the plane's body, ending at a point where they were mere centimetres from each other. A combination of the two decorations covered its majestic wings, which had to be at least forty feet long; about half the length of the aircraft itself. The words, 'NG CORPORATIONS' stood in bold at the centre.

A certain red haired man let loose an impressed whistle, grinning. "Wow, it sure is gigantic, huh?" Jeffrey turned to his best friend, smirking. "It's as big as your plane, Shade!"

Shuichi's eyes widened at the words. He turned shocked violet eyes to Tatsuha. "What? You have a plane too, Tatsuha!?"

Tatsuha blinked as everyone else's eyes turned to him in surprise. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah I guess. It's not really my plane though, it belongs to the organization."

"And I'm the main pilot!" Jeffrey added. He slung a friendly arm around the black haired man's shoulders, grinning widely. "And Shade here's the co-pilot, of course!"

Golden, emerald and violet eyes widened. "_You_ can drivea _plane_?!" Shuichi, Eiri and Tohma bellowed incredulously at the same time.

Tatsuha winced at their loud volume. "Hey, not so loud!" The black haired man scowled lightly at the three men's disbelieving expressions. "What's so hard to believe about me being able to pilot a plane anyway?"

Eiri raised an eyebrow, golden eyes staring at Tatsuha sharply, as if he thought the question his brother had just posed was a ridiculous one. "What's so hard to believe?" Sarcasm leaked from his tone of disbelief. "We're talking about you, Tatsuha. The foolhardy delinquent who couldn't even bother to pay enough attention in class to pass his exams."

Tohma nodded in agreement. "Eiri is right." The blond narrowed green eyes. "As such, I find it hard to believe you would be able to devote your always straying attention to what your instructor is teaching you about the plane."

"Planes are one of the hardest vehicles to drive, Tatsuha!" Shuichi followed up. "I played a game on them once, and I couldn't even properly take off the runway!" The pink haired singer frowned. "I can't believe you can actually _drive_ an actual plane!"

"...Wow." Jeffrey exhaled after Eiri, Shuichi and Tohma's short speeches. "They have so little faith in you, don't they, Shade?"

Tatsuha released a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, Jeffrey, yes they do."

The black haired man then turned to Shuichi, Eiri and Tohma. "Well, you are partly right. I'm not really an expert on driving a plane. I'm quite an amateur, actually. I only know the basics." He gave a small smirk. "Like Jeff here said, I'm only the co-pilot."

Eiri nodded in satisfaction at the revelation. "That does sound more like you."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes, a scowl on his face. "Thank you for such a _generous _compliment, brother." Eiri merely smirked in return.

"Oh," Shuichi blinked. "Who taught you then?" Curious violet met annoyed black.

"The previous Boss of _Hellfire_, Lionel Dream," Tatsuha replied, smiling at the memory. "He was quite the professional pilot."

Tohma smiled, malice inserting itself into his tone. "Ah, I see. So even with a professional coaching you, you still couldn't make it?"

Jeffrey gritted his teeth at Tohma's pleasant tone. The red haired man snarled, curling a fist in his anger. Fiery gold eyes pierced icy green ones. "Now look here, Seguchi. Don't you think just 'cause you're the Boss of an international company you can fucking try to demoralize Shade here as you please. 'Cause if you haven't realized it yet, he's the same rank as you, even _better_. _He_ may let your snarky comments slide but _I won't."_

The red haired man took a deep breath, glaring viciously. "He's the _Boss_ of the infamous _Hellfire_ for a reason. He's got so many talents you haven't seen yet and it includes-"

"That's enough, Jeffrey." Tatsuha's brusque voice cut through his second in command's rant.

Jeffrey recoiled at his best friend's glare. Catching sight of the irritation in Tatsuha's black eyes, the red haired man stopped in his rant, sighing and running a hand through his hair tiredly. "Yeah, I guess I went overboard. Sorry Boss."

Tatsuha smiled, the annoyance in his obsidian eyes dissipating. "Thank you Jeff, I appreciate it."

The dark haired Boss then turned to his brother in law, smirking with an undiscovered emotion in his eyes. "You are right, Seguchi. I couldn't make it even with my Master coaching me personally." He lifted broad shoulders up in a nonchalant shrug. "I'm just not cut out for the job of a professional pilot, you know? I prefer my role as a model and the Boss of _Hellfire _more."

"So now that we've gotten that over with, can we make our way to Japan already?"

Eiri smirked with amusement at the impatience in his little brother's voice. "Says the one who called me impatient." He drawled.

"I can't help it, brother. " Tatsuha said simply. "There's been so many disruptions that I'm starting to get frustrated."

"Fine," Tohma spoke rigidly. He turned to a certain blond American who had been silent the whole way, glaring venomously at a surprisingly quiet Xavier. "I assume you will be driving the plane, K?"

K blinked, removing his attention from his enemy. "Yeah, but I need a co-pilot. The previous one seems to have disappeared. I checked the cockpit just now during the little discussion about Shade." He grinned proudly. "I think he fled because he was in too much awe of my superb piloting skills and felt inferior! Hahahahaha!" K released laughter that sounded almost evil.

The blond American then turned to his former best friend, paying no mind to the skeptical and slightly afraid expressions on his companions' faces. He smirked. "So J, would you care to be my co-pilot?"

Jeffrey returned K's smirk with a blinding grin. "I'm all for it, K! Been a long time since we've piloted a plane together, you know?"

K shot an immensely bright grin of his own back. Electric blue sparked in memory of the long gone past. "True." The two men exchanged fond smiles, before proceeding together into the cockpit of the plane.

"Oh!" Everyone blinked curiously as K poked his head around the doorway, grinning. "By the way, none of you are allowed to come in until J and I get used to all of the controls. We don't want any distractions."

Green eyes stared in disbelief at the blond American. "You were the one who drove us here, K. You should have had knowledge on how to handle the plane a long time ago."

"Oh that." K stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I'm afraid it was sort of a gamble."

"A _gamble_?"

"Yeah!" K nodded eagerly, that big grin still on his face. "I just sort of gambled on the controls then; I didn't really _know_ them. There was a...let's see, 40% chance of the plane crashing, you know?"

"No." Tohma replied stonily. The disbelief stayed in his emerald eyes. "And I'm glad I didn't."

"Oh. Oh well! You do now!" K shrugged casually, smiling cheerfully. "Sorry 'bout that, but I had to drive fast to get to Ryuichi on time. I didn't want my piloting skills to fail me when I needed them the most." Electric blue eyes turned serious.

Tohma's facial features softened. Understanding shone in his eyes. "K-"

"K! Hurry up!" Jeffrey yelled from the cockpit inside the plane, interrupting Tohma.

At Jeffrey's call, K's blue eyes sparkled with excitement once again and a wide grin took over his face. "Well, that's my cue! We're gonna take this Baby off the road! Move out of the way, yeah?"

With those words, the blond American disappeared into the plane, slamming the door shut behind him. There was a whirring sound as the plane moved forward on the runway. His companions moved back, and watched in interest and slight awe as the huge vehicle reached the end of the runway. Its head lifted proudly and its wings climbed into the air as the plane soared into the vast blue sky.

Silence rose between the group for a moment as they all stared at the plane, a mere speck in the far distance. Finally, Eiri broke it with a frustrated sigh. "Great. Just when I thought we would finally be able to board the fucking plane, another problem just has to crop up!"

Shuichi on the other hand, was bearing dazzling amethyst eyes. "Oh my god! That was a perfect take off! It was so cool! Damn, that's really hard to do!"

Eiri rolled his eyes, growling in annoyance. "You and that stupid Flight Simulator of yours. What's so good about that thing anyway?"

"Well, it has planes, real planes, and we get to drive them!" Shuichi gave a huge grin, bouncing up and down on the spot. "That's a whole level of coolness on its own!"

Eiri merely stared at the excitement in Shuichi's eyes as he fantasized about his favourite vehicle. "You're crazy."

Shuichi merely grinned in reply.

"Shu-chan!" Shuichi blinked as Ryuichi appeared at his side in a blink of an eye. Nittle Grasper's vocalist smiled brightly. "Sit with me on the plane?"

The pink haired singer gave his friend an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Ryu-chan, but I'm sitting with Eiri!" He grinned excitedly, latching onto his annoyed husband's arm, rubbing his face against it, purring like a happy kitten.

Eiri's lips twisted into a scowl as he tried to detach the pink haired singer from his arm. "Get off me, brat!"

Yet, the blond could not deny he was a little happy that Shuichi had chosen to sit with him instead of Ryuichi. The Shuichi from five years ago would never have denied a request from his idol, much less given up the chance to sit with Ryuichi on an aeroplane ride. Eiri was relieved to see that Shuichi was not so fanboyish over Ryuichi anymore. He had gotten over his perception of Ryuichi as a God, and the two singers were true friends now.

Ryuichi smiled as he glimpsed the pleased smile on Eiri's face that existed only for a second before it turned upside down into his customary scowl. The singer chortled as he watched the novelist try to push his clinging lover away, who seemed to be stuck to him like a koala to a tree.

"Alright, Shu-chan, I'll go find someone else then!" Ryuichi grinned reassuringly, giving Shuichi an encouraging wink before rushing off in another direction. "Good luck with Yuki-san!"

Ryuichi was making his way to where Tohma was when he saw his band mate chatting with Noriko. Assuming his two best friends were going to sit with each other, the singer turned to his other friend instead.

"Vie-chan!" Crimson eyes blinked as Ryuichi tackled the blue haired man, hugging him around the waist and smiling up at him radiantly. "Sit with Ryu-chan on the plane?"

Xavier blinked again, startled by the sudden weight on his chest. The actor plastered a smile onto his face. "I would love to Ryu-chan, but aren't you sitting with Shade?"

"Shade? You mean Tatsuha?" Ryuichi made an expression that was halfway between a scowl and a frown. "Why would you think I would want to sit with him?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow at the sudden burst of hostility in Ryuichi's voice. "I don't know, maybe because he's your friend?"

At the statement, the frown on Ryuichi's face evolved into a scowl. The singer's features darkened as azure eyes narrowed. He unwrapped his arms from around Xavier's waist, pulling back. Ice blue penetrated blood red. "He is no friend of mine."

Being an actor himself, Xavier was not at all fazed by Ryuichi's drastic change in personality. He had long ago analyzed the singer and predicted he was not always as cheery as he seemed to be. However, he was surprised by Ryuichi's blatant disregard of Tatsuha. "Shade's a good guy. What's with your aversion towards him, Ryuichi?"

"He betrayed my trust. He hurt me." Ryuichi seethed, blue eyes harbouring myriad emotions. Xavier thought he saw a tear gleaming in the singer's eyes. He blinked and it was gone.

The blue haired actor sighed as the hatred in Ryuichi's eyes did not lessen. "Look Ryu, I'm sure he didn't mean to do it. Like I said before, Tatsuha is very protective over those he cares about. You're very close to his heart, so he couldn't have done it on purpose."

"You don't know the first thing about it." A low growl emerged from between tightly clenched teeth.

"Really? Then enlighten me." Xavier drawled carelessly, leaning back against the plane. Crimson eyes searched azure ones imploringly. "Just what did he do to you, Ryu?"

Ryuichi blanched. The memory flashed in his mind and he cringed. "He..."

Xavier waited patiently for Ryuichi to finish his sentence. When the singer showed no sign of doing so, he sighed. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. It must have been really bad, huh?" Ryuichi nodded hesitantly.

"So you can't forgive him?" Xavier raised both eyebrows, staring at Ryuichi with dark crimson eyes. "That's not right, Ryuichi."

"And why not? He hurt me and betrayed my trust. I hate him now." Ryuichi muttered emotionlessly, staring at the ground. Bitterness shone dully in azure eyes. "It's as simple as that."

"Really? Why are you so hurt then?" Xavier smirked as Ryuichi looked up at him in surprise. "If you hate him so much, why are you so affected by his betrayal? Why do you care so much?" He prodded, a mischievous smile on his face.

"I do not care about that bastard-"

"You love him." Xavier interjected into Ryuichi's furious protest, smirking with a touch of amusement and something else as Ryuichi's eyes widened. Confident crimson connected with astonished sapphire. "You love Tatsuha. Or at the very least, you like him. Otherwise you wouldn't be so heartbroken now."

Ryuichi shook his head vigorously, glaring fiercely at the smug Xavier. His words came out in choked breaths. "N-No...That's not t-true."

Xavier chuckled, highly amused at Ryuichi's stuttered denial. "That's the most pathetic lie I've ever heard. And to think you were once an actor."

The blue haired man grinned, ruffling the annoyed brunette's brown hair. "How cute; the world famous Sakuma Ryuichi has finally fallen for someone, but is too stubborn to admit it. And, it's none other than the Boss of the infamous _Hellfire_, Shade Runner." Xavier smirked, thrusting out a hand dramatically into the air. His voice was full of foreboding and sympathy and his red eyes were filled to the brim with melancholy. "A renowned and well loved singer and the Boss of a notorious underground organization! Oh, is this to be a heartbreaking tale of forbidden love like the tragic story of _Romeo and Juliet_!?"

"Xavier!" Ryuichi hissed. His face was flushed with embarrassment. "I swear I'll-"

The singer was interrupted by the roar of a plane's engines from above. He watched, amazed, as Tohma's plane glided down towards the runway. Its wheels touched the ground and it slid forward smoothly, eventually coming to a complete stop.

Ryuichi's mouth was open in surprise. _"Wow, what a graceful landing! I've never managed to do that, even if it's just in a simulator...K and his friend must be real professionals!"_

Ryuichi watched as the two pilots exited the plane, grinning broadly. "Alright, we've more or less mastered this Baby! You guys can come in now!"

"That was so awesome!" Shuichi voiced Ryuichi's thoughts, eyes wide in admiration. "It...It was such a professional landing!"

K smirked. "Obviously; since J and I can be called professionals!" He wrapped an arm around his co-pilot's shoulders, smiling widely. "Out of all the members of the organization, only Lionel was better than us!"

"Yeah!" Jeffrey agreed, nodding eagerly. "We were literally the best!"

K grinned. He led his friend into the plane, calling over his shoulder. "Like J said just now, you can board the plane now!"

There was a shuffle of feet as the group moved to board the plane. Xavier smirked. "Well, I guess we better get going." The blue haired man whisked past the impressed Ryuichi, his words a murmur carried by the breeze. "You better go to your _Romeo_ before you _lose_ him, _Juliet._"

At the provoking words, Ryuichi's eyes widened. His eyebrow twitched as an angry blush covered his cheeks. "XAVIER!"

But Xavier was already seated in one of the many chairs in the aircraft. The blue haired man grinned from his window, closing one red eye in a teasing wink at the irked Ryuichi and the bewildered Tatsuha.

Ryuichi growled in frustration, mashing his teeth together. "I swear I'll get him someday."

"Hey Shade, Ryu, hurry up!" Xavier yelled to the only two people who were not yet aboard the plane, a devious smirk on his face. "Why are you guys so slow?"

Ryuichi watched as Tatsuha gave a sigh and made his way soundlessly towards the aircraft. The brown haired singer examined the black haired man. He looked tired and weary, and his feet scuffled against the rough ground of the runway as he trudged towards the plane noiselessly.

Maybe it was the guilt he felt in his heart, or the curiosity he wanted to satiate, but Ryuichi did not know what inspired him to do what he did. Leaping forward, he grabbed Tatsuha's hand, causing the black haired man to turn around and look at him in shock. "Ryuichi?"

Tatsuha's usually smooth sounding voice was hoarse and rough, as if he had gone without water for days. His black eyes radiated incredulity and astonishment as he stared at Ryuichi in disbelief. The singer felt the knife of guilt dig deeper into his heart.

Ryuichi bit his lip. Those black eyes were staring at him intensely, countless emotions trapped in a mercilessly spinning vortex, like the unknown depths of a black hole in outer space. Tatsuha's hand tensed in his hold, cold to the touch.

For once in his life, Ryuichi was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed but he could not get his famous vocal cords to work. What should he say? What could he say?_ "I'm sorry?" "I like you?" "Please forgive me for treating you so badly?" "I know you didn't mean to do what you did?" _Numerous options floated around in the brunette's mind, but he could not decide on a single one.

Blue met black for a few minutes as the two men stared at each other almost challengingly. Finally, Tatsuha heaved a sigh. His jaw moved and he made to remove his hand from Ryuichi's grasp. "Ryuichi-"

"Sitwithme?"

Tatsuha stopped, raising an eyebrow at the jumble of words. "What?"

"I-I want to sit with you on the plane." Ryuichi mumbled softly, nervousness charging his words. Clasping the black haired man's hand in his tightly, the singer raised his head, bravely meeting Tatsuha's piercing gaze. He took a helpful breath. "Please?"

There was silence for a moment, before a beautiful smile blossomed into life across the black haired man's handsome features. "Sure, why not?"

Ryuichi had to withhold a gasp from the sight of Tatsuha's smile. It had been such a long time since he had last seen a real smile from the black haired man, and the singer felt his breath catch at the exotic sight. He had never known how much he had secretly missed Tatsuha's warm smiles until that point in time.

The vocalist smiled as Tatsuha led him gently up the steps. Ryuichi rested his head against Tatsuha's shoulder, murmuring softly in contentment. "Thank you, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha grinned lightly in return. He twined an arm around Ryuichi's slender figure, bringing the singer closer against him.

"I should be the one thanking you, Ryuichi."

* * *

_Author's Note_

_I just wanted to say that I am currently having a case of Writer's Block. Or at least, it feels like Writer's Block. I find it harder to write for some reason now, which may show in the chapter after the next. It could be that I'm losing interest in this story, or I don't want it to end just yet. I don't know, really. Maybe it is the former, since I have read a few humourous TatsRyu fanfiction and I find them so much more interesting than mine, even though I just mostly skimmed through, since I'm still undergoing a busy schedule._

_But then again, it could be the latter, because I haven't really planned on how the Tatsuha-Mika meeting will go, though I do have a vague idea. And what will happen after that; where will Tatsuha, Jeffrey and Xavier stay, will K's role lessen, etc. I only have a very brief idea, which has to be expanded on, a lot. So yes, I am delaying, as you may have noticed. I cannot help it, and I apologize for that._

_That is all, and I guess I will see you in a week or so. No promises, though. _

_I thank you for reading my story._


	15. Chapter 14: Warning

_Author's Note_

_**To mrs. xanderrain : **Thank you very much for taking the time to review. I really appreciate it. Err, I'm honored that you think of me so highly, but there's no way I'm better than Stephen King. I mean, I'm not even a real author. And I don't even write for the gothic genre._

_Haha. Well, I'm glad you like Xavier/Amanda so much. He's my favourite original character too, along with Jeff, since he does resemble me a little. Like the part where Xavier said, "Oh, how you hurt me with your heartless words, Shade!" while holding a hand to his heart. It sounds like something I would do when I'm in a teasing mood. Haha. Though, like I told **sweetsally**, I'm also laidback like Jeff, calm like Lionel and bitchy like Bianca. It depends on my mood, really. Xavier, a real character? Haha. I wish..._

_I see. Haha, interesting origin. But I still prefer Xavier; I mean, Xander is Tatsuha's model name after all. Xander Winters, remember? By the way, isn't it, erm, kind of weird to call a character you like by your sibling's name? No offence._

_I'm glad you think my story is interesting, it's encouraging to hear. I'm starting to find it a little far fetched though, but I like writing it, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Yeah, I will continue the story. It's just a matter of time. And I'm just having a bout of Writer's Block now. Hopefully it'll go away soon. I will give Xavier more parts too. In fact, I already have. He's your new anime crush huh? But shouldn't it be, er, fanfiction hubby or something? 'Cause he's not even in the real anime/manga. Haha._

_K and Xavier, huh? Long story, as usual. Not sure when I'm going to reveal the reason...have to find the right situation and all. Jeff and K were colleagues and best friends in Hellfire in the long gone past. Yeah, Jeff's cool. And funny. And amusing. I have fun laughing at him. Yeah, I'm evil. Though he hasn't really committed any stupid mistakes in the later chapters...damn. Yeah, I wish Xavier and Jeffrey were in the real manga too...but my wishes never come true..._

_Tatsuha, stay in Japan? I mean, I'm not quite sure when to bring him back to New York though I do have a vague idea. But I did not intend to make hiim stay in Japan. At least not now. But, I am highly amused by your lamentation of 'that sappy crap'. Was grinning like mad at the computer screen and chuckling to myself. Don't worry, I won't do that; I wasn't even thinking of it. I dislike those kind of cliched endings too._

_I'm not sure, really. I mean, I have 2 or 3 ideas on how Tohma and co. will figure out, but I don't know which to use and when to use it. I have other things to handle first, anyway. But they will find out, I promise. And hopefully their reactions then will be satisfactory to readers. We'll have to see._

_Anyway, thank you once again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Though, it's short. I apologize..._

_**To blueberry: **Haha. Yeah I know, but it's still frustrating, you know? Sigh. And yes, Tatsuha and Jeff respect and like Lionel a lot. Especially Tatsuha, since Lionel is practically his benefactor. A true Good Samaritan. Haha. How ironic, considering his occupation._

_Xavier, foreshadowing? Oh, you meant the reference to Romeo & Juliet. Hmm, was he foreshadowing, or was he teasing? Since he loves to put emphasis on his words to fluster and agitate poor Ryuichi. Haha. I myself don't know. Xavier is a mystery, even to me. But why would he say Ryuichi would lose Tatsuha...? Haha. I shall let you make your own deductions. If he is even meaning what he says, that is. You can never tell with Xavier._

_Yeah. At first I thought Shuichi was a 'thoughtless idiot' too, since I read fanfictions which portrayed him as mostly such, by his submissive quality, and not his actual personality. But then I read some good fanfictions, like **Prediction of the Pink**, and I realized I didn't give him enough credit. And then I remembered that he was quite mature in the later part of the manga, during and after he went to New York. So I felt I had to search his character and alter it a little, to make him more mature, since he is now an adult. But he still retains his usual personality, so I guess it's ok. Haha. I'm quite satisfied with the 'new' Shuichi I have crafted._

_'Lovely Bones"? What a strange name. Yeah, I know. Sometimes when I read books I like the storyline a lot, but the descriptions are sometimes just too confusing. But the movies I've watched so far have been fine, fortunately. But I can sympathize with you. Haha. Anyway, I'm glad you think that way, that you're not offended. It's very logical of you too. Haha._

_Well, on with the chapter! I apologize for it being so short, but I'm still having Writer's Block...sigh._

**Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me, but the illustrious Maki Murakami. I only own Jeffrey, Xavier/Amanda, Bianca, Lionel, Dean, Miss Star, Mirai and Kate.**

**Warnings: Gender bender, crossdressing(?), possibility of characters being out of character, slight AU, use of vulgarities, slow plot.**

**Notes for this chapter: A really short chapter, due to my Writer's Block. And also because it had a nice ending. You'll know what I mean when you finish reading the chapter. Oh and also, the characters may seem out of character. Especially a certain one. But it's a necessity. Though I cannot say too much right now.**

* * *

A certain black haired man tossed and turned in his sleep, lost in a dream, a nightmare, the reality of what he had done. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands were clenched painfully tight, his nails stained with blood.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get off me!" Cries of anger, small hands pushing against his chest._

"_S-Stop this." A breathless command, accompanied by wintery blue._

The dark haired man released a low groan as he relived his moment of intoxication and shame. He bit his lip harshly, and the blood produced rolled down his chin and was absorbed by the black of his clothing. In the dream, he struggled with his own mind to weasel his way out, trying to stop his body from doing things he no longer wanted to, to no avail.

"_Don't do this Tatsuha." Pleading azure begging with his nonexistent conscience._

"_Please..." A broken whimper._

With a gasp, Tatsuha shot upright at the helpless plea, panting almost desperately, black eyes wide. They stared with horror at grey leather in their sight, before slowly recovering to their nowadays emotionless seeming slits, as they took in the normalcy of their surroundings.

The raven haired man sighed, falling back onto the hard leather of his seat. There was a sleepy mumble beside him, and something warm and soft snuggled against his shoulder, as strands of hair tickled his neck.

Surprised, Tatsuha turned. He gazed at his sleeping companion, who had his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips, submerged in blissful slumber. Smiling fondly at the peaceful expression on Ryuichi's face, Tatsuha reached out a hand to gently brush silky brown locks away from his eyes.

At the loving gesture, the smile on Ryuichi's lips widened and he unconsciously moved closer to Tatsuha, nestling deeper into his broad shoulder, purring like a sleepy kitten. "Mmm...Tatsuha..."

If it had been any other time, Tatsuha would have been sporting a wide grin capable of splitting his face in two and cheering victoriously in his fanboyish mind at his idol murmuring his name in his sleep. However, the black haired man had just had a terrible dream of what he had done to have made Ryuichi hate him. The sight of Ryuichi, the sound of the singer's melodious voice, the feel of brown hair he had fantasized many a time of running his fingers through their softness, moving against his neck; they all sent a surge of guilt into his very being, which crushed his heart with no mercy.

"I'm sorry." the black haired man whispered, pain vibrating in his chest. He used calloused hands to carefully take hold of the sleeping vocalist's shoulders, removing him from his shoulder and resting him back against his own seat. Ryuichi twitched, but did not show any other sign of awareness.

Tatsuha forced himself to tear his eyes away from the brown haired vocalist to the window. The sun was retreating slowly into the horizon, graciously making way for its counterpart. The soft shades of pink, orange and yellow were fading into slowly engulfing darkness. In several minutes, the sky would be cradled within the inky darkness of the night, and the beautiful and mysterious moon would take her place in the cloudy night sky.

The man with hair and eyes as dark as the approaching darkness took a look around at the other occupants in the aeroplane. Shuichi and Eiri, who were sitting on the seats beside Tatsuha and Ryuichi's, were fast asleep. The former was resting his head against the latter. His mouth opened and closed as he snored loudly, drool dripping onto his husband's shoulder, whom had a deep frown engraved on his face, even in his sleep. Tatsuha allowed himself an amused chuckle, certain that Shuichi would be heavily bruised when Eiri woke up and discovered the sticky substance on the sleeve of his expensive jacket.

Behind Tatsuha sat Tohma, who was snoring lightly with a neutral and almost calculative expression on his stern face. Tatsuha raised an eyebrow, having not known that his strictly formal brother in law had the capability to make such a...normal, humanlike sound, even if he looked the same in his sleep as when he was awake.

Noriko sat beside Tohma. Like Ryuichi, a smile curved her lips as she leaned her petite body to the side, her head resting against the glass of the window. Unlike Tohma, she looked at ease in slumber, as if she was dreaming of things she liked and the people she loved. Her eyes were closed, their long eyelashes peeking out daintily like a sleeping peacock's beautiful feathers.

For a while, Tatsuha just stared at the pretty doll like woman, entranced. _"I should have fallen for her." _He thought dazedly as he stared at the purple haired keyboardist's enchanting visage. _"She's beautiful, she's energetic and has a vibrant personality yet is also kind and caring; she's everything a man could ever want."_

"_Yet I didn't; I fell for her best friend instead." _The black haired man turned his gaze to the singer beside him. He thought back to the contentment in Ryuichi's eyes as he laid his head against his shoulder while they boarded the plane, the genuine happiness in his smile as they talked and laughed together on the plane, as if nothing had happened to break the bond between them at all. _"Her forgiving, selfless and gorgeously handsome best friend."_

With a heavy sigh, Tatsuha got up from his seat, carefully crossing over Ryuichi's legs before proceeding to tread like a silent shadow down the aisle, deeply immersed in his thoughts.

"_But maybe it's a good thing I didn't fall for Noriko. I mean, she is __**married**__ after all." _The black haired man chuckled quietly to himself. _"Even I am not so evil as to permanently take a married woman away from her husband."_

"_I hate you." _

Tatsuha started at the sound of a usually cheerful and spirit lifting voice tainted with one of the darkest emotions in the world. He remembered the owner's trembling and broken form as he uttered the words with loathing, recalling what he had done to make it so.

Suddenly, the dark haired man laughed. It started off with little chuckles at first, before they turned into full blown, hysterical sounding laughter that reverberated off the walls of the aeroplane and disrupted the silence of the atmosphere.

Tatsuha laughed and laughed and laughed. He laughed until he was out of breath and gasping for air, and even then, hacked coughs escaped his abused throat, and the black haired man turned them to little chuckles of mirth as he collapsed to the floor, laughing helplessly.

"_What am I thinking? I am evil."_ Tatsuha thought in amusement as he chuckled almost madly to himself. _"I'm an evil Boss of an underground organization who made the one person whom he loved hate him by taking advantage of him! I'm so evil that I've managed to make a kind soul like Ryuichi eye me with loathing in his eyes!"_

Just as sudden as he had started laughing, Tatsuha stopped in his laughter. He stared blankly at thin air, on his knees on the floor, as his unexplainable and malevolent sounding laughter echoed into the far distance, before dissolving completely into nothingness like ghosts in the blinding light of the sun in the morning. The plane was silent again.

"_Ryuichi...Ryuichi should have been married." _Tatsuha mused. He nodded to himself. _"Yeah, he should have been married, like Seguchi and Noriko. He should have wed a beautiful girl with a smile as bright as his, who would never hurt him for her life. He should have had a family with the beautiful girl as his wife and with little adorable children she would gladly bear for him."_

"If he had, he would have been a father, living in bliss with the woman he loved and their children whom he loved equally. He would have been happy."Tatsuha mumbled to himself, black eyes mournful and dark. "He would not have had a crazy fan boy chasing after him, doing insane things like altering his gender and raping him afterwards."

The raven haired Boss sighed, all of a sudden feeling incredibly tired. Tatsuha felt like any energy he had had been seeped out of him by every miserable thought he had. He felt drained, and wanted nothing more than to collapse onto one of the nearby cosy looking seats and hide away from the reality of the situation.

He would have done exactly that had his instincts not rejected the idea. Tatsuha felt like there was something telling him to go back to where Ryuichi was, even though his conscience was rebelling against the very thought. He did not think he could bear the sight of the singer again, with the reminder of the pain he had put his idol through.

Eventually, his instincts won the war against his conscience, and Tatsuha reluctantly made to return to where the others were. He gazed out of the many windows as he strolled down the aisle. The day had reached the last stage of its everyday cycle, and the moon shone brightly like a beacon of hope for travellers lost in the darkness, surrounded by twinkling little stars, each of them giving off its own ethereal shine.

The plane itself was moving slowly, and Tatsuha figured that K and Jeffrey were also both asleep, and had put the vehicle on autopilot. He thought back to his companions' sleeping faces, and wondered vaguely if he was the only one awake.

The dark haired man found his answer when he reached his seat. A certain blue haired killer was standing in a patch of moonlight, which contrasted greatly with the eerie darkness swallowing up the rest of the interior of the aeroplane. Tatsuha watched as he leaned forward to gently caress the sleeping Ryuichi's cheek. His usually arrogant crimson eyes held melancholy Tatsuha had never thought he could even bear knowledge of, and an inexplicable sadness shone in their mysterious depths, amplified by the light of the moon illuminating them to the colour of shining rubies.

"Ryuichi..." Xavier murmured, his voice so gentle Tatsuha could hardly believe it was the ruthless killer speaking. He brushed brown bangs aside carefully, much like Tatsuha had done, as his own blue locks fell to cover his eyes. His unoccupied hand dropped to retrieve something from his pocket. It paused at the last moment, hanging suspended in mid air, before its owner sighed. Tatsuha witnessed with surprised eyes as Xavier brought his hand up to cup Ryuichi's cheek, as he moved his lips closer to the sleeping singer's.

Just as Xavier was about to make full contact, Tatsuha called out. "Xavier."

At the evidence of another awake person besides him in the deathly silent plane, Xavier started. He jumped back from Ryuichi, back into the creeping darkness, as if startled out of a spell. Crimson eyes blinked rapidly for a few moments, before they turned their gaze to the man with narrowed black eyes. "Shade!"

"_Then you better do something to win Ryu-chan's heart before your love rival Xavier makes a move!"_

Noriko's teasing words echoed in his mind as Tatsuha stared sternly at Xavier. The image of Xavier and Ryuichi's almost kiss flashed past his eyes and he frowned, jealousy devouring his insides. Ryuichi was his. Tatsuha would not allow anyone else to have him. He knew it sounded possessive, but he did not care. Ryuichi was his, and his alone. He had thought that Ryuichi and Xavier's little displays of affection were just Xavier's way of carrying out his favourite pastime; embarrassing his favourite singer. But now he could see that that was clearly not the case. Or at least, not the only reason.

Tatsuha raised his eyebrows, regarding Xavier with mistrust. "Just what did you think you were doing?"

Xavier stared with wide eyes at Tatsuha as the black haired man voiced the question. He looked like a child who had merrily skipped his way to the candy store, only to end up in the thick and dense forestry of the jungle instead, lost and unsure. For once, the blue haired killer was caught off guard. Tatsuha began to feel sorry for the man at the sight of Xavier's vulnerable state. But then he remembered Xavier's daring move, and his features hardened once again.

"I asked you a question, Xavier." Tatsuha commanded in an authoritative voice, black eyes narrowing even further at Xavier's lack of response. "Answer me!"

At the order, Xavier snapped out of his reverie. His crimson eyes shrunk to their usual narrow size, and a smirk plastered itself onto his features. He stood up straighter, with confidence and poise as he shoulders lifted in an uncaring shrug. "Oh. Hey Shade. Sorry, I was so stunned at your presence that I just kind of blanked out for a moment there."

"Anyway, isn't it obvious? I was kissing Ryuichi," Xavier continued, crimson eyes meeting Tatsuha's cold obsidian ones fearlessly. "Just like I always do."

"No," Tatsuha refuted, shaking his head. His black eyes seemed to see past the forced flippancy in Xavier's tone. "Rather, you were trying to kiss Ryuichi. You were trying to kiss Ryuichi in his sleep. You didn't want him to know, did you?"

There was no need to state what Xavier did not want Ryuichi to know. It was glaringly obvious as the light of day. Xavier lowered his gaze to the floor. His form seemed to shrink back into the darkness, as if it could assist him in shielding his surprise and bout of uncertainty from Tatsuha's piercing black eyes.

Silence filled the empty space between them for a few minutes, before Tatsuha got impatient and decided to use a different tactic, one that would satiate his curiosity for another nagging question in his mind. "Hey, Amanda?"

"Yeah?" Xavier replied absently. His eyes widened as he realized his blunder a few seconds too late, and his head snapped up to face a smirking Tatsuha with bewilderment in his eyes. "What the...how did you know!?"

Tatsuha merely smirked. "Well, I didn't. I only suspected. But I do now." He replied simply.

At Tatsuha's words, Xavier stared in incredulity, as he searched his mind frantically for a comeback. Giving up when he could not find one, he gave a sigh, tugging blue bangs down angrily. "Fuck! I've been done in by one of the oldest tricks in existence! I'm losing my touch!"

Tatsuha's smirk widened at Xavier's belittling of himself. It was intriguing to see the always cool and composed killer so frazzled and frustrated. As Xavier looked close to punching himself at his stupidity, Tatsuha took pity on him. "Don't worry, I won't ask."

"You won't?" Xavier stopped the fist headed towards his own face, staring at Tatsuha in unconcealed surprise.

The raven haired man shook his head. "Yeah, I won't." He gave Xavier an encouraging smile. "I mean, you're still my friend, regardless of your identity. I guess you must have your reasons. Though I must admit I miss Amanda, and I feel kind of betrayed...you know?"

Xavier nodded. "Yeah, I know." A grateful smile was on his lips. "Thanks Shade, and I'm sorry for tricking you and taking advantage of your trust. I mean, I didn't mean to, but..."

Tatsuha chuckled lightly as Xavier fought to fish out words from his mind that would explain the situation. "'Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to explain. I forgive you." He said kindly, waving a casual hand to the side. Then, without warning, his eyes became serious. "But I just want to know one thing; does Ryuichi know?"

Sensing the seriousness in the atmosphere, Xavier stopped his nonsensical blabbering. "Yeah. Yeah, he does." The actor answered truthfully.

"I see." Tatsuha said, as he absorbed the information. "How did he react?"

"Better than I could have ever expected, actually," Xavier revealed, a fond smile on his lips. "Well, he was a bit subdued at first, but then he showed me he was happy that I would be able to take off my disguise in Japan. He told me he was a horrible friend for reacting so badly to the truth of my identity, and pleaded with me to forgive him."

"He also told me he trusted me," Xavier sighed at the memory, running his hands through his hair. His crimson eyes exuded gladness in fond memory and doubt and gloom at the same time. "He was being so kind that for a moment I thought he was unreal."

"How can someone so forgiving and selfless exist? I thought such people only existed in crappy romance novels or stupid children fairytales."

Tatsuha grinned, unable to resist. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What, have you forgotten? Our little Ryu-chan's Sleeping Beauty, remember?"

At the casual statement, the emotion that seemed to resemble sadness disintegrated into the depths of red eyes. Xavier smirked with amusement, adopting a teasing tone. "Now wait one moment there Shade, you've got a tiny detail wrong. Ryu's _Sleepless _Beauty, not _Sleeping _Beauty."

"Yeah, but he's sleeping now, isn't he?" Tatsuha pointed out to Xavier, as they both turned around to gaze at the obliviously slumbering Ryuichi. The moonlight shimmered softly down on his handsome features, giving his body a celestial glow that made him look like an angel descended from the heavens. The black haired man smirked, a glimmer of desire in his dark eyes. "And he looks beautiful enough to me."

"True," Xavier agreed, grinning widely as his crimson eyes drank in the sight of the glamorously enhanced features of the singer. "Our very own Beauty; Sleepless when he's awake, Sleeping when he's, well, asleep." The two friends shared mirthful laughter at their joke.

When their laughter had subsided and they had regained their composure, Xavier turned to Tatsuha with a soft grin. "Hey Shade, since you've been almost as magnanimous as Ryuichi with your reaction towards my true identity, I shall divulge to you a piece of priceless advice."

"Yeah?" Tatsuha replied, still smiling brightly.

"Stop feeling guilt over what you did to Ryuichi." Xavier said seriously. He met Tatsuha's surprised black eyes with firm red ones. "I don't know what you did, but whatever it was it had a great impact on Ryuichi's perception of you. It was not easy for Ryuichi to forgive you. And now that he has finally managed that, don't waste this chance and instead do something to amend for what you've done."

"Stop thinking about the past and what you should or should not have done, and instead focus on the present. If you don't, before you know it Ryuichi will be gone with someone else. And he will never come back." The blue haired killer hissed with narrowed crimson eyes, like those of crows in myths and legends, which were said to represent great misfortune.

Xavier's speech robbed Tatsuha of his ability to speak. He watched with stupefied black eyes as Xavier walked back to his seat at the back of the plane. "Well, I guess I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight Shade."

When Tatsuha was finally able to move his vocal cords, his first words were not ones which questioned Xavier about the contents of his speech, or his motivation for encouraging Tatsuha to get together with Ryuichi, nor his motive for doing so. Instead, they consisted of a simple, five word question that had the ability to elicit a thousand different responses, but in this case, only dug out one.

"You love him, don't you?"

Xavier stopped in his tracks. Tatsuha watched as he bit his lip, before he spoke. His normally cocky and arrogant voice contained rarely heard uncertainty and skepticism and once again, his eyes were lost and confused, like those of a man searching in vain for darkness at the end of a tunnel filled with blinding white light.

"I-I don't know." For the first time in his life, Xavier spoke words with genuine honesty, with a voice that was shaky and unstable with something he could not comprehend. He took a deep breath, composing himself. "I don't know. But I hope not."

With those words, the blue haired killer disappeared into the darkness, a place where he craved with his very soul, whom he owned and whom owned him.

* * *

_Author's Note_

_And that's it for this chapter. I apologize for its shortness, and for the late update. I really have been busy. _

_Anyway I promise the next chapter will be longer. I have already started writing it. Hopefully it will be out in time...and that my Writer's Block will go away soon. Wish me luck, guys._


	16. Chapter 15: Brutal Return

_**To blueberry: **He is, isn't he? He's meant to be that way, I guess. I'm sometimes unsure of his motives too, and I created him. But he just always goes and does something totally unexpected without warning, if you know what I mean. I have little control over him. Seriously. It just seems right for him to act that way, so I let him proceed. Maybe it's 'cause he's the OC i am most like, so I can write him more easily and naturally than I do others. I don't know, really. His actions don't make much sense now, but they always do later. It's like he knows where the story's going even when I don't. It's kind of creepy. He's like a real character or something, I even know what he looks like, though I can't draw him out. ...You'd know what I mean in the future, hopefully._

_Ah I see. You like Harry Potter, huh? I'm just okay with it. Haha. But I think I will watch the last movie when it comes out. I'm more interested in other series though. Haha. Have you read the Mortal Instruments series? It's fantastic._

_By the way, is my story really that bad? I mean, it has close to 90k words but it only has 22 reviews. And I checked the views for the previous chapter, and it's even less than the amount of reviews I have. Sigh. Don't get me wrong; I really appreciate your efforts to read and review. But I just feel so discouraged and empty, you know?_

_Anyway, sorry for the late update and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Though it may not be as long as you expected. I apologize._

**Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters belong to Maki Murakami. I own Jeffrey, Bianca, Xavier/Amanda, Mirai, Lionel, Miss Star, Kate and Dean.**

**Warnings: 'Crossdressing', gender bender, use of vulgarities, slow pace of plot, characters being out of character; the usual.**

* * *

Sunlight poured in through the windows of the aeroplane, the rays of golden light forming transparent pools of liquid gold on the grey floor and seats, encroaching upon darkness and spreading warmth and light throughout the vehicle. A certain singer who was already awake blinked blue eyes, as they shone across his features, invading into his thoughts.

Ryuichi gave a small sigh, resting his forehead against the glass pane. Azure eyes regarded the vast expanse of blue sky and the soft white clouds propped up on them, floating gently by, looking for all the world as fluffy as a pile of wool taken from well-bred sheep. "It's already morning, huh..."

Nittle Grasper's lead vocalist had woken up from his sleep about an hour ago. It had been about seven in the morning, and Ryuichi had been the only one awake, having slept much earlier than the others, due to his mind being too tired out from the day's mentally exhausting events to function any longer. The singer had then proceeded to immerse himself in his thoughts and hum quietly to himself as he waited for the others to rise from their slumber.

The vocalist smiled as he leaned back into his seat, basking in the warm rays of sunlight. Ryuichi loved the sun, for it brought about a new morning, the beginning of a brand new day, where all the previous day's worries and concerns had been stolen, swept away by the inky darkness of the night.

The sound of a soft grumble caught his ears, and Ryuichi blinked, turning blue eyes to his companion. Tatsuha let out annoyed noises at the burst of sunlight behind his eyelids, prompting his black eyes to open, only for them to be forced shut at light which blinded his vision.

The dark haired man yawned, stretching his arms widely. He rubbed a black eye blearily, groaning. "Ugh. What time is it...?"

"About 8AM." Ryuichi answered the rhetorical question casually.

Tatsuha almost jumped from his seat in surprise at the unexpected voice. He started, snapping his head to the side, black eyes wide and now awake. "R-Ryuichi!"

Ryuichi smiled. "Good morning." He said simply.

Tatsuha blinked, stuttering a little. "Yeah. G-Good morning to you too."

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at Tatsuha's nervous tone. "Is something wrong?"

Tatsuha shook his head in reply, recovering. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine." The black haired man's eyes seemed to avoid Ryuichi's curious ones, instead directing their line of sight to the sword hidden underneath his trench coat.

Blue eyes blinked, before a slow smile spread across their owner's face. "Well, alright." Ryuichi turned his attention to the window, chuckling slightly. Tatsuha's nervousness reminded him of the long gone past, where the black haired then teenager had once been too wracked with nerves when he had first seen his idol to speak coherently. Ryuichi smiled in amusement at the memory.

Absorbed in the past, Ryuichi did not notice Tatsuha's furtive glances at him, which soon turned into a stare of wonder. Ryuichi's light brown hair glimmered softly in the sunlight, which illuminated the fading green highlights, and Tatsuha had to resist the urge to reach out a hand and slide his fingers across the silky brown locks. His eyes as blue and deep as the ocean gazed into the far distance as a content smile shone on his face. He looked the most relaxed Tatsuha had ever seen him in the past few days, normal, even.

"You look different," Tatsuha commented nonchalantly. He smiled fondly as Ryuichi turned to him with curious blue eyes. "You look relaxed, like there's nothing troubling your mind and everything around you puts you in a state of contentment...or maybe I'm still half asleep and just spouting nonsense." He tried to laugh his words off at Ryuichi's look of confusion.

Ryuichi shook his head, "No, you're right." He smiled a heart warming smile which turned Tatsuha's insides to mush. Content blue met surprised black. "I do feel different. I always do during mornings. I feel...free, for some reason. Maybe it's because they signify the start of a new day and I don't have anything to worry about yet. And I feel like there's more freedom, somehow."

"...Oh." Was all Tatsuha could say. "Oh."

Ryuichi giggled as Tatsuha struggled to form a complete sentence, his mouth opening and closing in failure. He gave a teasing grin. "I never thought the powerful and oh so eloquent Boss of the notorious _Hellfire_ could ever be rendered speechless."

"...You've been spending too much time with Xavier," Tatsuha scowled at the smirk on Ryuichi's features. Though, inwardly, he was smiling; the black haired man felt less guilty for his terrible deed, at the sight of Ryuichi's relaxed disposition. "Don't get cocky, Ryu-chan."

Ryuichi merely grinned. The brown haired singer was about to reply when a furious shout broke the pleasant breeziness of the atmosphere. "YOU DAMN BRAT!"

The source came from a certain awake and pissed off novelist, who had his drowsy husband by the neck, shaking him wildly, "How dare you leave your disgusting saliva on my jacket!?"

"I-I'm sorry, Eiri!" Shuichi choked out in response to angry golden eyes. "You know I can't help it!"

Eiri gritted his teeth as Shuichi turned pitiful violet eyes on him. The lovers stared at each other for a minute, before Eiri's hidden affections for the pink haired singer won over and he rolled his eyes before letting go of Shuichi.

The pink haired vocalist beamed. "Thank you Eiri!" He had to bite down lightly on his lip to stop himself from gushing praises and compliments to Eiri, not wanting to test the blond's patience.

"Whatever."

Tatsuha smirked in amusement as he watched the disgruntled blond allow his smiling lover to clean the residue off the expensive cloth. "Shuichi has Eiri wrapped around his little finger." The dark haired man grinned, leaning back against his seat, "He sure is whipped."

"An interesting start of a day." Ryuichi agreed, smiling with mirth. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah," Tatsuha said as he stored the refreshing image before him in his mind to stare wistfully at in the future. "I would."

"_And it'd be the best day in my life too, if you would only continue smiling like that, at me..."_

* * *

Seguchi Mika frowned as she paced around the room. It had to have been at least three days since Tohma had set off for America to retrieve Ryuichi, and he had still not come home yet. The brown haired woman was starting to worry; what if whoever had taken Ryuichi had kidnapped her husband as well?

Sighing, Mika strode briskly over and grabbed her phone from the dining room table, punching in a number she had memorised by heart and tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

The woman scowled when the irritating ringing noise of the device continued, the sound grating on her nerves. Resisting the urge to smash the gadget against the nearest wall, Mika cut the call. She was about to dial the number again when the sound of the doorbell almost made her start in surprise.

The doorbell sounded again. Hope lifting her heart with its strong hands, Mika dashed over to the door, flinging the door open. She felt a rush of relief sweep over her being at the sight of a very familiar face. "Tohma!"

Said blond smiled his customary polite smile, though his green eyes were filled with a fondness few ever had the honour of being the subject of. "Mika."

"Where the hell have you been?! I was worried sick about you!" Mika near yelled. Even though she knew the answer, she could not help voicing the words in her moment of anxiety.

Tohma's smile did not falter. "America." He said simply, in his pleasant, smooth voice. The blond's smile widened, laced with secrets, "And we have managed to retrieve Ryuichi, as well as someone who I'm very sure you'd be glad to see."

Ryuichi, who had been standing behind Tohma, chose this point in time to dive across the doorway and into Mika's arms, "Mika-san!"

"Ryuichi!" Mika exclaimed in surprise as the force of the brunette's tackle almost knocked her off her feet. Recovering, the brown haired woman wrapped her arms around the singer, voicing in concern. "Are you alright? Did those bastards do anything to you?"

Ryuichi shook his head, a wide smile curling his lips, "Don't worry Mika-san. Ryu-chan's fine, na no da!" The vocalist beamed, giving his friend a tight hug before withdrawing his arms from around her waist. Ryuichi drew blue eyes clouded with the slightest hint of doubt away from Mika's perceptive gaze. "We have a surprise for you, Mika-san!"

Mika blinked as Tohma and Ryuichi exchanged secretive smiles. "A surprise?"

"Yup!" Ryuichi grinned and Tohma smiled. Mika watched curiously as her husband stepped to the side and called out to a shadowed figure situated beyond the entrance of the house. "You can come in now, Tatsuha."

Mika stared with widened cobalt blue eyes as a tall, familiar, dark haired man decked in a long black trench coat strolled into the room. "Tatsuha!?"

Tatsuha smiled nervously, black eyes wary. "Hey sis. Long time no see."

But the brown haired woman was too shocked to reply. The two long separated siblings stared at each other for a moment, before the elder took several steps forward. Mika stopped in front of her baby brother, reaching out a hand to touch his cheek, as if she could not believe he was real.

"Is it really you, Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha blinked at the contact and the soft, disbelieving murmur. It was weird to see his usually indifferent and cold sister being so emotional.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me Mika." He reassured, looking into her doubtful eyes seriously, "I'm really here."

"I see." Mika said. Her hand left Tatsuha's cheek. The only warning Tatsuha got was a quick flash of cobalt blue, before a hard fist came flying towards the same cheek it had just seconds before bestowed a gentle touch on. It connected with skin faster than any of Tatsuha's enemies attacks had ever done, and sent the raven haired Boss flying out of the house in a blink of an eye, crashing into the hard pavement.

The raven haired man winced at the pain numbing his muscles. "Ugh..." Tatsuha had barely enough time to groan before Mika was on him.

"HOW DARE YOU DISAPPEAR WITHOUT INFORMING ANYONE!?" Mika screamed, raining a fury of fists upon Tatsuha's abdomen.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Tatsuha gasped between each merciless punch. He choked on his own breath as Mika dealt a particularly hard blow to his poor stomach. "I-I didn't mean to!"

Mika growled in reply. With extraordinary strength, she lifted her little brother by the collar and slammed him against the wall, "Didn't mean to? Didn't mean to!? Don't take me for a fool!"She yelled in his ear, shaking the dark haired man's body so vigorously that his teeth rattled.

"M-Mika." Was all Tatsuha could get out before well manicured fingernails curled around his neck in a vicious grip, their edges as sharp as razorblades. He gagged.

Jeffrey, who was standing with the others a little away from the scene, sweat dropped at the sight of his Boss being strangled by his enraged sister. The red haired man turned to his colleague. "Hey, don't you think Shade needs our help?"

Xavier just grinned as he watched the scene with amusement. "Nah, he'll be fine." When Jeffrey looked skeptical, he added convincingly, shrugging, "Or if you dare to interrupt the _touching reunion_, go ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you end up in the hospital."

Jeffrey blinked. He thought for a while, before shrugging himself. "On second thought, I won't." He shivered slightly, "I mean, that woman's scary!" The red haired gunman winced as Tatsuha choked on thin air. _"Poor Shade..."_

"-ika. I-I can't b-breathe." The raven haired Boss of _Hellfire _exhaled the first chance he got, before going back to watching enraged blue eyes dazedly as his lungs struggled for life. _"Damn it. Am I going to die here, killed by my own sister?!"_

Fortunately for Tatsuha, he was proven wrong as the strong grip on his neck was released and he collapsed ungracefully to the floor, coughing and hacking. The model filled his lungs with air, drawing in blissful oxygen as his vision began to clear.

He felt a large but gentle hand rub his back soothingly. "You alright, Shade?"

Tatsuha turned to meet gold eyes full of concern. He coughed, before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. Once he deemed he had enough oxygen in his lungs to speak, he reassured. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

Jeffrey smiled in relief. "Good." Grabbing his best friend's arm, he slowly and carefully heaved the disoriented black haired man to his feet.

There was a low whistle, and the two men turned their gazes to the third member of _Hellfire_, who was sauntering towards them with his usual arrogant look on his features, and the seemingly permanent grin on his face.

Xavier stopped in front of Tatsuha and Jeffrey. His grin widened as he surveyed the damage, red eyes impressed. "Wow, she sure did a number on you, huh? Who would have ever thought our very own Boss could have ever lost to someone, much less his own sister?"

Tatsuha glared daggers at his smug underling. "Shut up Xavier. I didn't lose to her, I wasn't even _fighting back_."

Xavier merely smirked. The blue haired man turned his attention to a confused Mika. Smiling like a true gentleman, he bowed, taking hold of her hand with gentle fingers and bringing it to his lips in a butterfly kiss.

"Greetings, _Mademoiselle_. Would you do me the honour of allowing me to bear knowledge of the name which belongs to such a beautiful and wonderful woman?"

Mika stared in bewilderment at the polite stranger in front of her. It took several seconds for her befuddled mind to grasp Xavier's words.

Cobalt blue eyes narrowed in a cold glare. "I am Seguchi Mika, _wife_ of Seguchi Tohma."

Xavier continued to smile, unaffected, "Mika, huh? That's a lovely name, one truly befitting for a lovely lady like you." The actor smiled seductively, delicately tracing the lines of the smooth palm in his hands with his thumb, murmuring with doting admiration, "And one so strong in her actions too. It seems that hell genuinely hath no fury like a woman scorned."

A crisp voice spoke up. "In case you weren't listening, Mika is my _wife_, Xavier."

The voice turned cold. "I would appreciate it if you would let go of her hand _right now_."

The blue haired killer smirked, but released Mika's hand, who practically snatched it away from him. She gave him a glare as freezing as her husband's voice. Undaunted, Xavier smiled, bowing with a touch of mocking. "My apologies, Lady Mika. I had no intention to make you uncomfortable."

Paying no heed to Mika's snort of disbelief, Xavier turned to face Tohma, smirking. "Jealous, aren't you, Seguchi? Don't worry, I won't steal your dear _wife_ away from you. I'm nowhere near that type of guy."

"But since I'm not allowed to court the ladies, I'll just have to change my target, won't I?" Xavier spoke as if to himself. His crimson eyes gleamed with mischief as he turned his gaze to his favourite victim.

In a flash as swift as a bolt of lightning, Xavier was kneeling on the ground on one knee, holding a startled Ryuichi's hand. He brushed his lips against slim fingers in a loving gesture.

"Sakuma Ryuichi, will you allow me to hold the prestigious title of your boyfriend?"

"WHAT?!" Everyone present proclaimed their incredulity in nuances.

"_What the hell?" _For a moment, all the shocked singer could do was stare at Xavier with wide eyes. _"W-Why is he suddenly..."_

Suddenly the memory of the challenge Xavier had issued came to mind. Blue eyes narrowed._ "That's right. I shouldn't let my guard down."_

"D-Don't joke, Xavier! Ryuichi glared with annoyed azure eyes, trying to ignore the heat on his cheeks as he felt several pairs of disbelieving eyes on them. "I won't fall for any of your tricks again!"

To his surprise, Xavier shook his head solemnly. His crimson eyes seemed serious. Though with Xavier, one could not really tell. "It's not a trick, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi flushed as Xavier interlaced their fingers together. The blue haired killer got to his feet. Ryuichi 's eyes widened in surprise as Xavier yanked him forward by their interlocked fingers, capturing him in an embrace as he looped a possessive arm around the singer's waist. Smirking, Xavier dipped his head, letting a husky whisper descend into Ryuichi's ear.

"You know, I could take care of you so much better than Tatsuha could..."

Ryuichi shivered at the warm breath on his ear. He could feel Xavier's lips curl into a knowing smile. The hand around his waist moved to his neck, trailing down the smooth skin. Sharp nails brushed against his chest. "'Cause it's not wise to trust someone who took advantage of you, don't you think?"

Ryuichi blushed at the sensual movement. He flinched as Xavier raked his nails lightly across his chest before azure eyes widened as Xavier's words sunk in. "How did you know?!"

"I didn't," Xavier said, smirking. "But now, I do." He felt a sense of satisfaction at having used the old trick on someone else.

"Think about it." The blue haired killer murmured softly before drawing back. He smirked at the stupefied expression on Ryuichi's face. A careless drawl escaped his lips.

"So, what do you say, Ryu?"

But Ryuichi was too shocked to even hear Xavier's words. Tatsuha, who had been watching with stunned black eyes, decided to intervene.

The black haired man growled, gritting his teeth. He tore away from Jeffrey's grip on his arm, moving away from his surprised second in command and towards his bold subordinate. "Don't force Ryuichi to agree to something he doesn't want to, Xavier."

Xavier smiled with a mixture of malice and amusement, "Recovered from your wounds already, haven't you? What are _you_, his knight in shining armour?" Grinning malevolently, he drew Ryuichi closer by their joined hands. Lifting Ryuichi's hand, he touched his lips to the singer's palm lightly, amused crimson eyes locked with Tatsuha's raging black ones." Am I to be the evil villain who takes your, hmm, precious prince away from you then?"

Tatsuha clenched his fists in anger and jealousy at Xavier's close proximity to Ryuichi. Vaguely, he could not help but find it ironic that Xavier's allusion to fairytale characters that had once amused him greatly was doing the exact opposite. He snarled as Xavier landed a kiss on _his_ singer's palm. _"Damn it! Ryuichi is __**mine**__!"_

"_Or is he_?" Doubts started to fill Tatsuha's mind. Suddenly he found himself unsure of his claim on his idol.

Black eyes widened and Tatsuha shook his head violently. _"What am I thinking? Of course he is! Ryuichi has always been mine!" _As if his own conscience was rejecting the idea, certain displeasing images appeared in his mind. Obsidian eyes widened, before lowering in guilt. _"Or maybe not..."_

Finally, the black haired man spoke, his tone one of dejection. "I-I'm his friend." _"At least I'm still his friend."_

"And yet you wish to be so much more." Xavier stated casually, as if he had read Tatsuha's mind.

Smirking, he brushed his lips against the frozen Ryuichi's, as he held their entwined fingers to his heart. "But too bad, he's _mine_." There was something in his eyes Tatsuha knew he ought to recognise, but the black haired man was too occupied with the green eyed monster to discern the emotion.

"He doesn't seem to think so." Tatsuha bristled with anger, as jealousy churned inside him like an angry snake.

"Really." Xavier raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Hey Ryu, who would you prefer to be with? Tatsuha or me?"

Ryuichi snapped out of his whirling thoughts at the words. He glanced between the angry Tatsuha and the confident Xavier with uncertain eyes. "I-I don't know..."

It was Tatsuha's turn to smirk as Xavier frowned slightly. "See?"

"Fine." Xavier said. "If that's the case, let's settle this the medieval way."

Reaching under his trench coat, the blue haired killer sliced the air with his shimmering sapphire blade. Xavier thrust the weapon towards the startled Tatsuha, speaking in a formal tone, though it was still infused with his usual sarcasm, "_Sir Runner_, I challenge your gallant _Highness_ to a battle to the _death_ for our lovely prince's heart." The spikes on his sword glinted in warning.

"I accept." Tatsuha replied. He did not know if Xavier was acting or even joking. But he did know he would never reject a challenge for his beloved idol's heart, real or not. His pride and love for Ryuichi would have never let him live it down. The raven haired man drew his master's sword in a swift move, his body habitually shifting into a battle stance, black eyes narrow and dark.

"Good." Xavier licked his lips, crimson eyes hungry with battle lust. He smirked, meeting Tatsuha's serious black eyes.

The two men were about to commence their fight when a loud female voice slashed through the tense atmosphere like the two members of _Hellfire's_ swords would have done. "STOP!"

Everyone turned to the owner of the voice, a purple haired woman with fiery brown eyes. Noriko stomped forward angrily, her brown eyes blazing with such fury that Tatsuha and Xavier took a step back in fear and apprehension.

"How can you two be so inconsiderate!?" The purple haired keyboardist screamed at the two blinking men. She was too angry to fear the dangerous weapons they wielded. "Can't you see that Ryu-chan doesn't want either of you right now!?"

Noriko growled, shoving Xavier out of the way and circling a protective arm around her best friend, "How _dare _you claim to care about Ryuichi or god forbid, _love _him when you neglect his feelings and start a conflict for your own selfish interests?!"

The room was silent, as Xavier and Tatsuha contemplated Noriko's words. Tatsuha stared at the ground guiltily while Xavier just stared blankly forward.

"Noriko..." Ryuichi murmured, his words parting the silence of the atmosphere. He stared at his best friend in awe and gratefulness. It was one of the rare times he had seen his cheerful and energetic band mate truly angry, and Ryuichi felt touched that she was angry for his sake."Thank you."

"Awww, there's no need to thank me, Ryu-chan!" Noriko grinned brightly, the anger in her eyes receding to make way for good natured humour. "After all, we're best friends, right?"

"Right." Ryuichi said, smiling. Though as he looked into Noriko's eyes, he couldn't help but think her words had more meaning than they seemed.

Noriko smiled in a kind and gentle manner. "You can tell me you know, if there's anything bothering-"

"What do you suggest we do then?" Xavier interrupted. His crimson eyes shone with an aura that indicated displeasure. "I apologize if battles are the only way I know of to resolve _conflicts_." He sneered.

Noriko ignored his sarcastic tone, instead turning to regard him with stern brown eyes, "Isn't it obvious? If you really do like Ryuichi, show your affection the normal way by dating him."

"Noriko!" Ryuichi protested in disbelief, blue eyes wide. "What are you saying!?"

Xavier blinked. "Date? You mean I'm allowed to date Ryuichi?" Noriko nodded. At the admission, Xavier grinned, "Oh, a whole day alone with my Ryu. I can't wait!"

Ryuichi grimaced as Xavier gave a dreamy smile, reminding him of Amanda. He wondered briefly if the actor was doing it on purpose. "Noriko! I am _not_ dating Xavier!" _I'd rather date Tatsuha!_

Tatsuha's eyes shot up from where they had been staring gloomily at the ground, and Ryuichi realized with a start that he had voiced his thoughts out loud. The black haired man stared at his idol, unable to believe what he had just heard. His voice carried a hopeful note when he spoke.

"Do you really think that, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi felt his cheeks warm as Tatsuha stared at him intensely, yet with a hint of pleading in his black eyes. "Yeah..." He ducked his head, blushing.

Tatsuha smiled one of his brilliant smiles, and suddenly all the embarrassment Ryuichi felt at having spoken his thoughts out loud faded away. He smiled back, a light blush on his cheeks.

Unfortunately, their sweet moment was interrupted by a certain obnoxious, loud, voice. "Hey that isn't fair Shade! How could you beguile _my _Ryu away from me? _I_ claimed him first!"

Tatsuha's smile disappeared at Xavier's words. He reluctantly brought his eyes away from Ryuichi's radiant visage to face the unhappily frowning blue haired killer, "You haven't even started dating him, Xavier. So technically, he isn't yours. He didn't even agree to date you." The raven haired Boss smirked proudly. "While I, on the other hand, have been his biggest fan for _several years_. I even went out with him a few times. If there's anyone he belongs to, it's _me_."

Xavier scowled, "Yeah right. You _think_ you're his biggest fan. But you're not. There're other people in the world who admire him more than you do." He retorted smugly. "For example, I've been putting his pictures as my phones' wallpapers for about _ten years_."

"That's _nothing_. I've done-OWWW!" Tatsuha yelped in pain as someone twisted his ear painfully, dragging him by it away, as if he was still the delinquent teenager he had once been. That grip could only belong to one person. "Oww! That hurts Nee-san!"

Mika glared at him and released Tatsuha's ear, who rubbed the abused appendage tenderly. "It's _your_ fault for bickering with your friend over Ryuichi like two kids over some toy." She crossed her arms, scowling. "Why don't you two just take turns to date him?"

Noriko nodded in agreement with her friend, "Yeah. That way we'd be able to see who Ryu-chan likes more!" She smiled brightly. "Right, Ryu-chan?"

"...Don't I get a say in this?" Ryuichi protested weakly.

Noriko wagged her finger at him like a mother at her child, frowning in discontentment. "Now now Ryuichi, don't be so ungrateful! We're helping you to find the perfect boyfriend here!"

"But I don't _want_ a boyfriend!" Ryuichi said in a voice which almost sounded like a whine, pouting. "You just enjoy matchmaking me with people _you_ like, Nori-chan!"

"How could you say that, Ryu-chan? I'm looking out for your interests here!" Noriko declared indignantly. "Since you're too lazy to go and look for someone yourself!"

"I have to say that Noriko's right," Mika added, as Ryuichi opened his mouth to retort. He turned to her with surprised eyes. She smiled, "You've been single for several years now Ryuichi, and well past the age of thirty. I should think it's time you settled down with someone."

The smile turned evil. "Don't worry. If Tatsuha or his friend does anything to you, Noriko, Tohma and I will _personally_ make them wish they had _never_ been born."

Tatsuha resisted the urge to flinch at Mika's deathly calm tone of voice. _"Damn. For a moment there, she sounded exactly like Seguchi!"_

Ryuichi sighed in defeat at Mika's convincing words and Noriko's determined eyes, scowling lightly, "Fine. I will do it. But I'll only date each of them once unless they manage to convince me otherwise." _Especially Xavier. How the hell am I going to survive a whole __**day**__ with him?_

Xavier and Tatsuha grinned at Ryuichi's acceptance. The blue haired killer let out a whoop of joy, punching a fist into the air. "Yeah! I get a date with my Ryu! Just the two of us, all alone!"

"That's very well and all," A cool, calm voice interrupted Xavier's rejoicing. "But Ryuichi has a concert coming up. I forbid you and Tatsuha to court him until it's over."

"What? But why!?"

"He needs to rehearse for it, of course."

Xavier blinked. "Oh. When is it-"

"What? A concert? A concert by Ryuichi!? When?! Where?!" Tatsuha cut Xavier off in excitement, overcome by his fan boyishness for his idol. "Why wasn't I informed!?" He cried in dismay, collapsing to his knees on the floor, "I, his number one fan!"

Tohma sweat dropped at Tatsuha's dramatic display. "You were in America." He deadpanned. "And I see you haven't lost your enthusiasm when it comes to Ryuichi."

"Why would I?" Tatsuha said, offended. "No matter what, Ryuichi will always be my one and only idol!"

Mika rolled her eyes as Tatsuha clenched his fist in determination. "Yeah, whatever you say, lover boy." She grabbed Tatsuha's arm, dragging him along the floor and to the couch, ignoring his indignant protests. "Now shut up and tell me what happened to you for the last five years."

Tatsuha blinked as his sister heaved him up and shoved him roughly onto the couch, before taking a seat herself. He sighed as she stared at him with her serious cobalt blue eyes. The raven haired Boss of _Hellfire _ran a hand through his hair tiredly, clumping tufts of black hair in his hand.

"It's a long story..."

* * *

_I am losing interest in this story, so I'm not sure when my next update will be. I apologize deeply to all my readers and reviewers._

_But on a brighter note, Happy Chinese New Year everyone! May you all have good luck and may your days be bright and I hope you guys receive many hong baos! Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Shi Ru Yi, Shen Ti Jian Kang, Xue Ye Jin Bu! I wish all of you great days ahead!_


	17. Chapter 16: Conflict

_**To mrs. xanderrain: **Haha, it's alright! I was just curious, but no, you didn't come off as weird. I found your review entertaining, actually._

_Ah ok, I assumed as much. Yeah, poor Xavier, he doesn't know what it's like to love someone. Haha, so he's unsure if it really is love. Maybe it isn't? But anyway, Tatsuha now has a love rival! Oh and Xavier's becoming someone I like to torture...though I like to torture sweet little Ryu much more...muahahahaha! ...Sorry._

_Xavier, smart? Haha, I see him as more tricky than smart. And poor Ryu can't see his tricks until it's too late... Oh and Ryu would rather date Tatsuha 'cause he knows Tatsuha longer and likes him... He's afraid if he dates Xavier he'd be embarrassed for the whole day by Xavier's constant teasing remarks and flirting or even touching. Haha. He wouldn't be able to 'survive', if you know what I mean._

_Anyway, thanks for reviewing my story again. This 'epic __tale__ of murder, suspense , romance and a hint of martini's shaken not stirred' has come back to life. Well, somewhat, but it's all because of my readers and my reviewers; you, **blueberry **and even **sweetsally!** So sit back, relax and enjoy the chapter, and I apologize for taking so long! And since you like Xavier so much, I've tried to increase his role in this chapter. Haha. But I'm afraid he may be out of character, since I haven't written him in so long..._

_**To blueberry: **Yeah poor Ryu, he can never get a peaceful moment in his life! Though Mika and Noriko do have a point, haha. He does need someone special in his life. He even thinks so himself! (see Chapter 1: Jeffrey's Plan)_

_I agree, Mika's scary. Sometimes I find her even scarier than Tohma. Poor Tatsuha, he's done a lot of explaining for the past few days. He might as well go become a lecturer or something. Haha, I'm joking._

_Haha, thank you for the compliment. I'm honoured. Yeah, it is sad, but at least I still get reviews. I don't understand why not many people read my story either. They just have different interests I guess... Oh and the Mortal Instruments is a trilogy, about supernatural creatures like vampires, fairies and werewolves and the Shadowhunters, a group of specially gifted humans created to fight demons and such. It's really very very nice, trust me. You should read it...the first book is called City of Bones, by the way, and it's by Cassandra Clare._

_With that, on with the chapter! I apologize for the long wait and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you have enjoyed the others! Thank you for not giving up on me too._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Graviation or its characters, who belong to Maki Murakami. I don't own the song used in this chapter either, which is _Predilection_ by Yamaguchi Kappei, Ryuichi's voice actor; the lyrics and translation for the full song can be found at .com. But Jeffrey, Xavier/Amanda, Dean, and any other characters not from Gravitation are mine.**

**Warnings: Gender bender, characters being out of character, etc.**

**Notes for this chapter: I'm too lazy to grammar check it or improve its vocabulary. So there may be mistakes and it may be unsatisfactory to some.**

* * *

Everyone sat, enraptured, as they listened to Tatsuha speak of his life. Various emotions played out across the black haired man's face; frustration and sadness when he spoke of the reason he ran away, fondness at the memory of his benefactor and his first meeting with Jeffrey. His dark eyes beheld a turmoil of emotions as he spoke, before they settled on anger as he recounted the passing away of his beloved superior.

"And that's all," the Boss of _Hellfire_ finished, as he leaned back against the couch. He regarded his quiet audience with serious and emotionless black eyes. "After Lionel...left us, I became the Boss of _Hellfire_, and things just went on from there, until I asked Jeff here to kidnap Ryuichi."

He turned to a silent blond. "Seguchi can tell you more about that."

"Tatsuha claimed he kidnapped Ryuichi because he wanted him. He assigned a mission to his subordinate to make Ryuichi his," Tohma revealed to curious pairs of eyes. "Jeffrey obeyed and brought him to Tatsuha's house, and well, he did not tell me anything more than that."

Tatsuha nodded, before returning his attention to the rest. "So, any questions?"

The room was silent, as Tatsuha's inquiry echoed against blank white walls, before drifting away into nothingness. The model took a deep breath.

"If there aren't, I guess I'm-"

"Tatsuha..." said person blinked, turning to the source of the voice, who had tears in her eyes.

"Mika...?"

"You ran away because of us, didn't you? You fled because you couldn't take how we treated you so coldly anymore, because of how uncaring _I _was towards you..." a single tear escaped the ice queen's cobalt blue eyes. She pursed her lips, raising a hand to rub her eyes.

"Mika..."

"I'm sorry Tatsuha. I really am. But Eiri...he was going through a really hard time and I thought he needed his older sister there with him; my mind was so occupied with his well being that I just...I just forgot all about my baby brother." Her voice shook with deep regret, choked with sobs. She sniffed, as another tear rolled down her cheek.

"I...It's alright if you don't want to believe me. I-I'll understand." The brown haired woman bit her lip. "But even if you can't forgive me, can you please stay for a few days?"

Gathering her courage, Mika tore her gaze from the ground and to her little brother's surprised eyes. She swallowed. "Eiri and I...we really miss you. And...And Father did too..." she trailed off.

Tatsuha's black eyes softened at the sadness in his sister's eyes. "Mika...it's alright," he soothed kindly. He smiled gently as his sister blinked, reaching out a hand to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. "I forgive you, and of course I'll stay for a few days."

"Tatsuha..."

"I mean, this...journey, even though it was hellish, it taught me a lot of things." Tatsuha reassured his tearful older sister, as he tried his best to put his indescribable feelings into words.

"It taught me the harsh reality of life, and how to survive it," he smiled as he recalled his older brother's words. "It made me grow up into the adult everyone has always wanted me to be, and made me feel proud while doing so."

"It let me meet a truly kind soul, it gave me a powerful position, it gave me lots of things," Tatsuha went on, meeting Mika's eyes. He smiled with the happiness of a man who had almost everything he wanted in life. The black haired man turned to face red and gold.

"And best of all...it gave me friends." He grinned, meeting Jeffrey's and Xavier's eyes. "True friends."

Jeffrey shot an equally blinding grin back. "Awww, man! Shade! For a moment there I thought you forgot all about me!"

Tatsuha smiled. "Nah, I could never forget you, Jeff. You're my best friend, remember?"

"Never have forgotten!" Jeffrey replied with a wide smile, throwing an arm around his best friend's shoulders.

Xavier blinked for a while at Tatsuha's acknowledgement of him as a friend, before his usual smirk covered any other traces of emotion on his features.

"Yeah, Shade. I must admit I am touched, so to speak," the blue haired killer drawled with a touch of genuine gratefulness, a feat only he could accomplish. "Congratulations, for you have succeeded in making the magnificent Xavier Rain feel a sense of friendship and affection!"

Tatsuha merely smirked at Xavier's shameless declaration. He raised an eyebrow in response, his voice tinged with amusement. "Full of yourself as always, aren't you, Xavier?"

Xavier grinned proudly, though there was a hint of something in his eyes that Tatsuha liked. "You know me so well, Shade!"

"As always." Tatsuha gave his friend and fellow swordsman a grin back before moving back to Mika.

His older sister looked up at him with unsure eyes. "You...really forgive me?" She spoke hesitantly, though her eyes were no longer filled with tears.

"Yeah," Tatsuha nodded firmly. "I do. I never really blamed you in the first place anyway."

A smile spread slowly across Mika's face at the words, and Tatsuha felt himself smiling at the refreshing sight. He caught his sister as she threw herself into his arms, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Thank you." Mika said, her voice full of emotional gratefulness as she looked up at him, and Tatsuha could not help but think their positions had been reversed.

"You're welcome I guess." Tatsuha said awkwardly. He felt like he was the older brother comforting his younger sister, instead of the other way around. It was kind of strange.

The dark haired man blinked as his sister raised a hand to brush his cheek, "You've really changed..." Mika smiled, her normally cold blue eyes filled with soft fondness and a hint of pride. "You've grown up, Tatsuha. You're an adult now."

"_You've become an adult, Tatsuha. You're no longer a boy, but a man."_

Tatsuha smirked at the memory. "Well yeah, that's what Eiri said too, so I guess it's true." He shrugged with nonchalance. "But thanks."

Mika blinked, reclaiming her seat. "Eiri? He knows?"

"Yeah, he came with the others to retrieve Ryuichi and well, he saw me." Tatsuha said. "After I told him why I was there, he demanded for me to come back to Japan and tell him and you the whole story. I told him just a while ago, actually, on the way to the hospital."

"What? Hospital?!" Mika demanded, eyes filled with worry. "What happened to him!? Did he get badly hurt?"

"He was shot by a gun," Tatsuha explained, and cringed when Mika's face adopted a expression that clearly stated she would pulverize the person who dared hurt her little brother.

"Don't worry Mika, it's nothing serious really," the black haired model added hastily. "It was only two shots in non-vital areas. Shuichi just wanted to make sure he was completely recovered."

"Oh." Mika blinked, calming down. A thought occurred to her and her cobalt blue eyes narrowed once again. "But he still got injured, didn't he? Who's the bastard who _dared_ to shoot him?"

Tatsuha gulped at the anger in his sister's eyes. "O-One of my subordinates," he lied. "He thought Eiri was the enemy. I've punished him for his insolent act already. He will never dare lay a finger on Eiri again."

Mika nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, but if he ever hurts Eiri again..." Her fist was clenched painfully tight, shaking with the slightest bit of movement.

"He won't," Tatsuha reassured. He could see where his brother in law got his protectiveness over his big brother from. "He will never meet Eiri again."

"That's good," Mika got up from her seat on the couch, walking towards the door. "But I still want to see him."

She turned. "We're going to the hospital, Tatsuha."

Tatsuha blinked. "Oh okay, but what about Jeffrey and Xavier?"

"They can go with Mika and you," Tohma spoke up, and Tatsuha turned to him curiously. He smiled genially. "I have already arranged for rooms in the nearby hotel for them."

"Alright." Tatsuha motioned for his friends to follow him. "You heard Seguchi. Let's go Jeff, Xavier."

The two men nodded, and followed Tatsuha and Mika out of the door. Jeffrey closed it with a click behind him, and the silence of the room was only broken by the sound of Mika's car speeding off into the far distance.

Finally, Tohma turned to smile at his two band mates.

"Well then, shall we be off too?"

* * *

Loud synthesizer music filled the spacious room, as the two keyboardists' fingers flew across their keyboards skilfully, making not a single mistake. The equally talented vocalist tapped his foot to the familiar beat, eyes narrowed and serious as he raised the microphone to his lips.

_Nijuuhachi-ji no yoru wo kiritoru_

_Mado wo toshimetara hajimaru _

_Ichido shikaketara tokenai wana wo _

_Ma ni awanai PROTECTION _

Ryuichi smiled as he sang, his voice full of passion and emotion. He relished in the music flowing, spinning and dancing around him. He welcomed it with open arms as it caressed his very soul and lifted his spirits higher than what they had been the past few days. He had truly missed singing.

_Tatoeba kimi wo kizutsuketai _

_Jiorama ni tojikomete _

_Tataitemita tte sakendetemo _

_Kikoenai sa PREDILECTION_

The brunette's smile grew with every word he sang. Yes, he was doing his favourite thing of all time, singing. He was no longer in America, but back in Japan, away from strange happenings and unusual people, no Jeffrey, no Xavier, no...Tatsuha.

_Iki mo dekinai _

_Soukyou shita de wa _

_Sugureta ai wo musaboru _

Ryuichi hesitated at the thought provoking name. Tatsuha, who had turned his life upside down, but had treated him kindly. Tatsuha, who had taken advantage of him but felt great regret afterwards. Tatsuha, whom had thanked him on the plane when he was supposed to be the one thanking him. Tatsuha, whom he had learned to forgive and could possibly love...

The brown haired singer blinked at his thoughts. Love? Did he love Tatsuha? He liked Tatsuha, and had always liked him. He only treated him so badly at first because well, for obvious reasons, though he was not to blamed.

_Can't get enough kotoba yori mo motto _

_Don't let me down tashika ni misete hoshii _

_One more night kusuka ni kizutsuita _

_Kimi wo mitsumeru me sono saki ni _

"_Not to be blamed..."_ Ryuichi thought as he sang. He recalled the scene a few moments earlier at Mika and Tohma's house, and his eyes grew dark as he remembered Tatsuha talking about his past.

"_That's right...Tatsuha's not entirely at fault for his actions. He's only the Boss of Hellfire because..." _Ryuichi's eyes widened at the realization. The music echoed around him, but the next words died on his lips. "_Oh god. And I treated him so horribly..."_

"Ryuichi." The lead singer was jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of his band mate's voice. He looked up, realizing with a start that the air was now devoid of music and Tohma and Noriko were in front of him.

"Noriko? Tohma? Why did you stop playing?"

"You're not focusing on the song," Tohma cut straight to the point, green eyes annoyed. "What is the matter, Ryuichi?"

"Tohma! There's no need to be so strict with him! Everyone gets a little distracted sometimes!" Noriko reprimanded the blond keyboardist with a frown. She turned to the silent singer with concerned brown eyes. "What's wrong, Ryu-chan?"

Ryuichi bit his lip, covering the tumult of emotions in his mind with a smile. "It is nothing, Noriko. I'm just a little tired."

Ryuichi blinked as Noriko's eyes narrowed. "Alright, now I know something's definitely wrong. What's wrong, Ryuichi?"

The lead vocalist cursed himself for forgetting to amplify the lie with his childish facade. "It's nothing. Really." He faced her with serious blue eyes. "I'm fine."

Noriko shook her head, scowling. "I don't believe-"

"It's about Tatsuha, isn't it?" Tohma cut Noriko off curtly, and she and Ryuichi turned to him, surprised and shocked.

"How did you know-"

"It's quite obvious, actually." Tohma said, and his voice was so cold that Ryuichi almost shivered.

"I will ask you one more time, Ryuichi. Just what did he do to you?"

"Nothing," Ryuichi replied, once he had gotten over his shock. He watched as Tohma's green eyes narrowed even further, and added before the blond could speak, "It's me who did something to him."

"Oh really? And what did you do to him?"

Ryuichi ignored the mixed blend of scepticism and thinly veiled sarcasm in Tohma's voice."I hurt him," he said, blue eyes holding a similar level of regret as Mika's. "I hurt him with my harsh and unforgiving words. I hurt him with my rude and insufferable attitude. I hurt him with my lack of gratitude. I hurt him so much that he couldn't take it anymore and he..." the singer bit his lip to prevent the next words from escaping.

"He?" Noriko encouraged, brown eyes worried.

But Ryuichi shook his head. "N-No. It's nothing." He turned his gaze to the floor, and didn't look up even when Tohma spoke.

"Yes? Do continue with what Tatsuha did, Ryuichi."

"I can't." He whispered.

He could imagine Tohma raising an eyebrow in response. "I see. And why are you unable to continue?"

Ryuichi didn't reply, and Tohma frowned, his tone becoming icy.

"You just don't want to let us know."

"Perhaps."

Tohma could not help the scowl that crossed his features at Ryuichi's short reply. "Fine." He said in a controlled voice that was the slightest bit unstable with the beginnings of irritation and frustration.

Ryuichi glanced at him as he made his way to the door. "Go home, Ryuichi. There is no point of us continuing our rehearsal with you being so distracted with something you refuse to tell us."

"Tohma..." Ryuichi's voice exuded hurt and a portion of the turmoil in his heart. He stared at his friend's back with tearful blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I-"

Tohma opened the door, blond bangs shading his eyes. "Go home and sort out your thoughts." He interrupted the singer, ignoring his apology.

"And do not come back until you possess a clear mind once again."

Ryuichi winced as the door slammed behind his band mate, rattling a little by the sudden force. He dropped to his knees on the floor, no longer being able to hold back the dam of emotions. His hands shook. "No...Tohma..."

Noriko stared in sympathy at her trembling friend. She knelt down next to the crying singer, circling her arms around him in a protective embrace, as she whispered comfortingly in his ear. "It's alright, Ryuichi."

"No! It's not alright!" Ryuichi rebuked, even as he buried his face into Noriko's neck, wetting the smooth skin with a barrage of tears. The singer sobbed. "Tohma hates me now!"

Noriko sighed, holding Ryuichi closer, who clung to her like a child to his mother.

"He doesn't hate you, Ryuichi. He is just frustrated because he wants to help you, but you constantly deny his help." She soothed, running gentle fingers through Ryuichi's soft brown hair. "Why don't you just tell him what's wrong?"

Ryuichi shook his head, flinging tears out of his eyes. "No! I can't!"

"Ryuichi..."

The brunette flinched at the exasperation in Noriko's voice. His head snapped up, and he regarded his friend with pleading blue eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Noriko! Please don't hate me!"

The purple haired woman smiled gently, as she drew her sobbing friend closer to her. "I could never hate you, Ryuichi."

"But," she began, locking serious brown with relieved blue. "I would also like to know what's wrong. Please tell me Ryuichi, so that I can help you."

Ryuichi bit his lip as he met Noriko's stern yet pleading gaze. "N-No. I won't, Noriko. You would hate Tatsuha. I like Tatsuha, and I don't want you to hate him."

Tears rolled down the lead singer's cheeks. He lowered his gaze to the flowery patterns on Noriko's shirt, avoiding her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Noriko. But I can't. I just _can't_."

Noriko's heart squeezed so painfully at Ryuichi's broken tone that for a moment, she found herself unable to breathe. "Ryuichi..."

He gazed up at her with serious and soulful blue eyes. "I really am sorry, Noriko."

She smiled reassuringly, forcing back her own tears. "It's alright, I understand. Just promise you'll tell Tohma and me when you're ready, and not to let it bother you too much, okay?"

Ryuichi nodded. "Alright, I promise." She smiled at his acquiescence.

Noriko watched as Ryuichi made to remove himself from her arms. She let him go, and watched curiously as he advanced towards the door with a powerful stride, as if he had not just broken down in her arms a few minutes ago.

"Ryuichi?"

He opened the door, turning back to smile at her. "Thank you Noriko, for understanding." His voice was deep and sincere, and she blinked at his sudden maturity.

"I will take Tohma's advice and head back home to sort out my thoughts." Ryuichi gave his band mate another smile, but she could see a tear shimmering in one blue eye.

"And when I return, I will not allow myself to trouble you or Tohma any longer."

Noriko stared at him as he stepped out of the room. The purple haired woman realized that for the first time, Ryuichi had spoken with the maturity level expected of an adult of his age while he was not on stage, and wondered if that was a good or bad thing.

The door closed with a soft click behind him, leaving her alone in the close to empty room.

* * *

Mika slammed the car door shut, and Tatsuha quickly got out, running to catch up with his sister as she walked briskly to the entrance of the hospital.

"Wait up, sis!"

The brown haired woman whirled around, causing her little brother to almost collide into her back. Her blue eyes were cold and apathetic once again.

"Which room is Eiri staying in?"

Tatsuha shrugged in response. "I don't know. Shuichi insisted for us to go on and said he would take care of Eiri."

Mika scowled lightly. Tatsuha watched as she turned away from him, before her eyes widened as she caught sight of a familiar tall, blond haired man accompanied by his pink haired partner.

"Eiri!"

Said blond looked up as his name was called, raising an eyebrow at the sight of his sister. "Mika?"

"Why are you out here? I thought you were injured." Mika demanded, as he sprinted to her little brother with anxious eyes.

Eiri's other eyebrow shot up at Mika's words, and he smirked. "Injured? You call getting hit by two measly bullet shots from a five year old an injury?"

Mika blinked in confusion. "Five year old?"

"Yeah, five year old," Eiri drawled. "You know, that idiot-"

"Subordinate of mine," Tatsuha continued quickly. He shot his brother a warning look, who raised an eyebrow in return. "He's, err, a prodigy who's really young..." he said, trying not to let any discernable emotion show in his voice.

Blue eyes blinked. "Oh."

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so after I got shot by his prodigal _subordinate," _he put emphasis on the word, smirking with amusement as Tatsuha glared at him hard enough to burn. "The bratty little singer here insisted that I had to get my _wounds_ checked."

Shuichi pouted at his husband's obvious sarcasm. "How can you say that, Eiri?! I was worried about you!"

"Over a minor injury like two non lethal bullet shots?"

"W-Well, it wasn't minor to me! The wound could have gotten infected!" Shuichi protested indignantly, purple eyes full of worry. "You could have died!"

"...I don't know whether to be insulted that you think I would let a five year old end my life or disbelieving that you believe I could die from such a harmless_ injury."_

"B-But Eiri! I was worried about you! Besides, you got hurt protecting _me_ too!""

"...Whatever."

Tatsuha smirked as his brother turned away from Shuichi's puppy dog eyes, scowling at Shuichi's unexpectedly good reasoning. He shook his head with a touch of exasperation. "You guys never change."

"Shut up, Tatsuha."

The raven haired man blinked at the simultaneous, annoyed three voices. An amused grin crossed his features.

"Well, nice to see I'm still so well appreciated."

* * *

Ryuichi sighed heavily as he let himself fall onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling with conflicting emotions in his blue eyes. "What should I do...?"

The singer flashed back to the expressions of hurt on his two best friends' faces, the barely contained frustration in Tohma's usually calm voice and the tired exasperation in Noriko's upbeat tone. He imagined his two friends leaving him, and the third break up of Nittle Grasper.

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, and he sniffed. Grabbing Kumagoro, he buried his face in the pink rabbit's soft fur, letting out pitiful little sobs and soaking the toy with his downpour of salty water. He held the toy close, as if it was his only comfort in the dreary, dark house.

Suddenly the tears stopped, and Ryuichi slowly lifted his head. He held Kumagoro in front of him, staring at the toy with puffy blue eyes.

"I always cause trouble for others, don't I, Kumagoro?" The vocalist murmured dejectedly to his only companion.

He smiled a smile which reflected the sadness in his eyes. "I was the reason that Nittle Grasper broke up, I was the one who hurt Tatsuha so much that he snapped, and now Tohma and Noriko are angry and sad because of _me_."

Ryuichi bit his lip, but didn't manage to prevent the tears' descent. He stared mournfully at the smiling pink rabbit. His next words were choked with sobs.

"Why, Kumagoro? Why can't I do anything right?"

His favourite toy merely continued smiling at him, and the brunette scowled, hurt in his eyes.

"That's right, you're not real. You can't help me with my problems." He spat, flinging the toy carelessly to the ground and glaring at the permanent happy expression on its face with cold blue eyes.

"Maybe I should just drop this dumb act already and be the adult I am supposed to be."

All of a sudden, the phone rang, startling Ryuichi out of his misery. He jumped in surprise, blue eyes darting to the noisy object.

Slowly, the vocalist got up. Ryuichi brought a hand to swipe across his tearful blue eyes, forcing the tears back. He stumbled shakily over to the phone, picking the receiver up and speaking hesitantly, hoping it was Tohma calling to let him know he was no longer angry or that Noriko would calm him down with her gentle, motherly tone.

"H-Hello?"

There was silence on the other end, and Ryuichi frowned. Was Tohma preparing himself to give him another scolding, or was Noriko thinking of what to say? He swallowed heavily at the first thought, before voicing.

"Tohma? Noriko? I'm sorry-"

"Whose ass am I kicking?"

Ryuichi blinked at the unexpected reply. Was it a prank call, or a wrong number?

"Huh?"

There was a chuckle. "Sorry, wrong phrase. Found that one off the internet." The unfamiliar yet familiar voice spoke, its tone interwoven with threads of amusement. Ryuichi blinked, bewildered.

"Um, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. I think you have the wrong-"

"Rather, who am I killing?"

Ryuichi could not help but shiver at the serious and dark tone of the unknown caller. It spoke of danger, of malicious intent. It was almost evil, and the singer could only think he was glad the victim was likely not him.

"K-Killing?" He stuttered, almost backing away from the phone in apprehension and fear.

"Yeah." The ambiguous killer answered in the same tone of voice as before, and Ryuichi resisted the urge to shiver. He stared at the phone fearfully at the sound of a sharp weapon being drawn, before turning his gaze to Kumagoro whom he had abandoned on the floor, wishing the phone cord was long enough for him he could dive across the room and retrieve his toy to hold it in his arms for comfort and confidence.

"W-Who are you?"

There was a pause, as if the mysterious person was contemplating his words. Ryuichi stood in the silence of the living room. The surroundings were as silent as the person on the other end. He felt enshrouded in a creepy aura, and was about to put down the phone to end the almost frightening situation when the voice spoke once again.

"...You don't know who I am?"

Ryuichi blinked as the dark tone in the caller's voice was replaced by shock. "Err, no?"

There was a mumble. "Damn, did that woman give me the wrong number then?"

The caller grumbled unhappily. "I should have known. She's Seguchi's wife after all." The male voice produced a sound somewhere in between a whine and a growl. "How dare she keep me away from my Ryu?!"

Ryuichi's eyes widened at the words. There was only one person who saw no qualms with openly claiming him as his, despite his constant protests.

"X-Xavier?!"

The now identified caller was silent again, and Ryuichi presumed he was blinking in surprise.

"Oh. Well I guess she didn't trick me after all." Xavier mused to himself. "I guess I'll allow her to keep her life then."

"Hey, why didn't you recognize my voice, Ryu? Is the connection frayed or did I drink too much coke or something?"

It was Ryuichi's turn to blink in surprise. Coke? Xavier liked coke? It didn't seem an appealing option for someone who was practically part of the mafia to drink.

"Hey, Ryu, you still there?"

"Yeah. Um, I guess I just wasn't expecting you to call me..." Ryuichi replied hesitantly.

There was a snort. "What, did you think just 'cause you're back in Japan I would leave you alone?" Ryuichi could hear the smirk in Xavier's voice. "In your dreams, Ryu."

Ryuichi could not help but roll his eyes at Xavier's familiar arrogant attitude. Yet, he also could not help but smile at the dose of familiarity.

"I can still hope, can't I?" He replied teasingly.

His smile widened as he heard Xavier's cheerful laughter on the other end. "Well, you should know hope and wishes rarely come true!"

Nittle Grasper's singer grinned. He leaned back leisurely against the wall, relishing and grateful for the levity Xavier always brought along with him into the atmosphere.

"Alright, I get your point. So, why did you call me?"

"For the date of your concert, of course," Xavier replied, traces of laughter still in his voice. "When is it?"

Ryuichi laughed. "My concert, huh? Well it's on-" his voice faltered as an unwelcome realization struck him. "The 13th of July."

He could hear an amused chuckle reverberate from the other end, but his mind was frozen. "The 13th of July , huh? That's this Saturday. Unlucky number, eh, Ryu?"

But Ryuichi didn't reply, and Xavier frowned.

"What's wrong, Ryu? I was just kidding about this Saturday being unlucky, you know."

Ryuichi was snapped out of his thoughts at Xavier's voice. He forced a shaky smile, as quivering fingers gripped the phone's handle tightly.

"I-It's nothing, Xavier. I'm just tired. I'll be going to bed now. I'll talk to you some other time, okay?" With those hasty words, the singer hung up the phone, not even waiting for Xavier's reply.

Ryuichi stared blankly at the beeping device, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The concert; he had almost forgotten. It was on this Saturday, less than a week away and they had barely had any practice, due to his...disappearance.

And it was obvious they couldn't do so now, with Tohma angry at him and Noriko exasperated, though she didn't show it. The band was in a crisis. Ryuichi released a heavy sigh.

The vocalist trudged wearily to the bedroom. Sleep was what he needed. Maybe he would be able to think better when he woke up the next morning. He yawned. It seemed that the past few days he had been sleeping for long hours everyday. But Ryuichi needed to reclaim his energy, and sleep was the easiest way for that.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Ryuichi gave a groan. The vocalist gritted his teeth, clenching his fist in frustration. Today was just not his day.

Almost stomping his feet on his way to the door, Ryuichi forced himself to calm down. Taking deep breaths, he plastered a smile onto his face as he opened the door to greet the unwelcome visitor with false cheer. Maybe it was Shuichi who had come to visit.

"Hey, Shu-chan, na no da! What brings you here-"

"I thought you had gone to sleep?"

Ryuichi's eyes widened at the sight of the blue haired killer before him. "Xavier?"

The actor gave a short nod. He invited himself into the brunette's house, making himself comfortable on the couch. He leaned back leisurely, red eyes piercing surprised blue ones.

"It wasn't really polite of you to hang up on me like that, you know."

Ryuichi was shaken out of his surprised state at his friend's casual words. Bringing up his barriers, he gave a bright smile.

"Sorry, Vie-chan! I was feeling really tired and sleepy-"

"Stop."

Ryuichi blinked at the unexpected command. "What?"

No one had ever interrupted him in an explanation before. He watched in befuddlement as Xavier gave a sigh and heaved himself up from the couch. He made his way over to Ryuichi, ignoring his yelp of surprise as he grabbed the singer's hand and dragged him over to the couch, letting him fall onto the piece of furniture, before sitting down himself.

Ryuichi watched in puzzlement as Xavier rummaged in his pockets, before pulling out his phone. He recognized it as Amanda's phone, at the sight of the picture of himself Xavier or Amanda had put as his or 'her' wallpaper.

Retrieving headphones from the pocket of his trench coat, Xavier connected it to his phone. Ryuichi stared curiously as he clicked on a playlist in his music player and scrolled through the list of songs, before he selected one song he would recognize in a heartbeat. _Sleepless Beauty._

The blue haired man nodded in himself in satisfaction, and Ryuichi blinked, bewildered, as Xavier turned to him and handed him the headphones. "Put these on."

"Huh? Why?"

The killer gave a sigh at Ryuichi's mystified expression. "You're able to concentrate better when listening to your own music, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So?"

Xavier stared at him expectantly, and Ryuichi's brows creased in confusion. He looked down to the assistance being offered to him and carefully received the headphones from Xavier, placing the earmuffs over his ears.

At once, the familiar catchy beat of Nittle Grasper's most popular song assaulted his senses, as the sound of his own powerful voice rose above the perfectly played music. He closed his eyes, lowering his head and tapping a single foot to the beat of the song.

Music. He was listening to music. His own music. His own song. Ryuichi smiled, letting the passionate sounds of his own singing lull him into a state of peace and calm. In his mind's mental landscape, he was on stage, singing _Sleepless Beauty_, the song Nittle Grasper had slaved on, to thousands of screaming fans.

Nittle Grasper's lead vocalist allowed the melody of the song to carry him to his ideal place, his perfect utopia; the stage. The stage on which he sung with genuine emotion, on which he could let down all his barriers and speak from his heart. The stage was where he met one of his good friends and rival, and the place where Noriko, Tohma and him had often worked blood, sweat and tears to be on. Just for that one moment, where they could shine. Where _he_ could shine.

The stage was where Sakuma Ryuichi had the most control. He belonged to it, just as it belonged to him, and Ryuichi vowed to never let anybody else to take that gloriously magical moment away from him.

The song stopped, and the music genius raised his gaze, blue eyes sharp and completely void of their usual childish innocence. He removed the earphones, murmuring in a voice so soft that his companion had to strain to hear.

"I must apologize."

"Apologize?"

Ryuichi turned to him, and had Xavier not been an actor himself, he would have been taken aback by the vast transformation in the singer's countenance.

"I angered Tohma and caused worry to Noriko," he answered, getting up from his seat and advancing towards his destination, "I must ask for their forgiveness for my actions."

Xavier's eyebrow twitched. "That's it? You aren't going to tell me why you were crying earlier?"

"It is none of your concern."

The actor scowled in annoyance. Springing from his seat, he grabbed his retreating friend's wrist, his voice loud enough to be a shout. "Well at least thank me for my help, will you?"

At this, Ryuichi turned.

"Thank?"

"Yeah," Xavier said, his tone bordering on irritation. A dose of sarcasm made its way into his voice. "You know, for my help; lending you my phone and headphones so that you could clear your mind with your own music."

He clenched his teeth, before conjuring up a false grin. "Don't you think you should give me a kiss as a reward?"

Ryuichi blinked, the first human action Xavier had seen him do in his reticent state. Once he had gotten over his surprise, he smiled his winsome smile that fan girls swooned and drooled over.

"Alright then. Release my wrist."

Xavier complied. He watched, speechless, as the rock star moved towards him with the grace of a professional dancer. He raised his hand to cup the actor's cheek, and before Xavier had enough time to stare into those mesmerizing blue eyes, crossed the distance between them in a swift and smooth move.

The kiss bestowed upon him by the celebrity was chaste, short and sweet. Ryuichi's lips tasted of a hundred different flavours. But when Xavier had regained his rudimentary senses to savour the indefinite but appealing taste of the singer, he had already pulled back, and the stunned killer watched as Ryuichi lowered himself to his normal height, withdrawing his hand from his cheek.

"I presume that was good enough for you." The serious expression was back, and fierce blue eyes seemed to glare at him.

"No." He breathed, but Ryuichi was already making his way towards the door. He wanted to grab the famous singer and explore the intoxicating taste of his lips again, but it was as if he had been hit by one of Jeffrey's darts; he could not move a muscle.

Xavier stared as Ryuichi exited the apartment. Crimson eyes followed the singer's every move, blinking when he paused in his movement.

"Thank you."

The words were said in an emotionless voice, with infinitesimal genuineness. All the same, they caused red eyes to widen, but before their owner could reply, the door had already closed behind the singer.

The actor stood in the empty apartment, staring blankly at thin air, his mind reeling with thoughts.

Suddenly it seemed as if all the questions or perhaps, one important question in his mind had been answered, for crimson eyes regained their customary amused gleam and smooth lips curved into their everyday feature.

"So _that_ is the real Sakuma Ryuichi."


	18. Author's Note : A Great Apology

_**To the readers of this story,**_

_I am really, really, really sorry, but this isn't a new chapter._

_I know that I have not updated for practically half a year. I deeply apologize of that, I've been busy with my studies, and problems in my family. I haven't visited this account in so long that I realized I had forgotten my password when I tried to log in, and had to reset it._

_For once, I am glad that not many people read this story; I do not have to disappoint as many people. But for those who do, especially my faithful reviewers, there are no words to express how guilty and regretful I am that I have no choice but to abandon my story. For, it has been a long time since I've even glanced at Gravitation; I have lost the once avid interest I had in the anime/manga._

_Instead, that interest has been directed to another fandom. I have watched the Korean drama, You're Beautiful in my free time. I've finished watching all the episodes, and I loved it. Gravitation seems like a far off dream; I've been drawn into the world of this sometimes cheesy but fantastic show, which has made me smile and laugh many a time in the hustle and bustle of life._

_I've never been a fan of Korean dramas, and You're Beautiful is the only one I've watched. However, the characters and plot intrigue me so, even until now, that I decided to dedicate what free time I have to write a fanfiction about it._

_So I guess…that's all. I still like Ryuichi and Tatsuha together; I recently read a fanfiction about them. But, I don't think I have the passion and zeal anymore to write them, together or not. Forgive me for my blunt honesty…but it's the truth._

_And there's also the fact that I've more or less forgotten the plot of this story…if there was even one to begin with. I still remember who Xavier and Jeffrey are, and I still like their characters…but I really have no idea how to continue after Ryuichi talks to Tohma and Noriko…I vaguely remember a concert scene, but that's it._

_I think I've said all that I've wanted to say. Once again, I apologize deeply to all my readers for abandoning this story. If any of you have an idea to continue it and are willing to do so yourself, do post it in a comment and I most probably shall let you be the new author of this story, and will allow you to use my OCs as well._

_But perhaps, if you guys still like my writing, I guess you could check out the fanfiction I wrote for You're Beautiful. Its title is To Choose A Path, and I've written it under the penname, YB Fan. You can find the drama on **mysoju. (Do add the necessary details ;www and .com. For some reason, I can't type the website's name out here.)**_

_If you do read it, please leave a review or two. I've only gotten one review so far in 3 chapters, and to tell the truth, I'm feeling quite discouraged. I wonder what is it with my writing that people don't want to review my stories…?_

_As usual, I've rambled again. But to end off, I'm so sorry for the disappointment I've caused, and I hope, perhaps, to see you guys reading and reviewing my fanfiction for You're Beautiful._

_Thank you very much for taking the time to read this long message, and for sticking with this story until its regrettable end._

_**Yours Sincerely,**_

_**The Mysterious Double Checker**_


	19. After Years

It's been years, and I haven't accessed this account for years. I know my dropping of this story was abrupt, but back then I really had lost interest and I felt not many people had interest in the story either.

But recently I introduced my friend to Gravitation, and I've watched and read it again. I've returned to this fandom. And I've managed to continue this fic. And I'm not sure what I'm writing but I'm writing and I guess that's something good. It's a miracle, really.

I'm not sure how many people are even reading this, reading an Author's Note on a proclaimed abandoned story. But I've reread Gravi fics which are still discontinued after years, and I just thought, maybe I could continue this. But I'm probably not continuing this on this account. I'm too lazy and I have no time to rewrite the whole thing, but what I've recently written, I'd say there's some improvement after years.

I'm not that much into gender bender now, but I can't change the plot of this story. But Ryuichi will still be the man we know, mentally and emotionally. I have plans, but I'll have to reread this from beginning to end, so we'll have to see. If I'm continuing this, I'll post it on my current account, YB Fan. This is my very first story, so it does hold a place in my heart. So yeah, please do share with me if you do want me to continue this story. Thank you.


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